Swell-compression characteristics of a fiber-reinforced expansive soil

This study presents results of an experimental program with respect to fiber's capacity of mitigating the swelling behavior of an expansive soil. Two types of tape-shaped fibers, i.e. fiber A (width fw = 2.5 mm) and fiber B (fw = 7 mm), were used as the reinforcements. The fibers were included at three contents, i.e. fc = 0.5%, 1% and 1.5%, each having two lengths or aspect ratios (fAR = 15/2.5 and 30/2.5 for fiber A, and fAR = 15/7 and 30/7 for fiber B). For a given fiber type (constant fw), improvement in swelling potential/pressure was observed to be a direct function of fc and fl (fiber length) or fAR, with the former taking on a more pronounced role. In addition, for a given fc and fl, the wider fiber (lower fAR) was more efficient in restricting swelling. The compression characteristics were cross-checked with the swelling properties to arrive the optimum stabilization scenarios. For both fiber types, fc = 0.5% suggested an optimal case. However, where compressional deformations are not a primary concern, higher inclusions up to 1% could also be an acceptable choice.