GEOTECHNICAL BEHAVIOR OF EXPANSIVE SOIL OF RAJASTHAN REINFORCED WITH NATURAL FIBERS AND COMPARISON OF THESE FIBERS EMPLOYED TOGETHER WITH CRACK PROPAGATION PATTERN

Abstract

Considered as one of the notorious soil category as of swelling, shrinkage and cracking behavior eventually damaging civil engineering structures instigating wide-ranging difficulties for construction purpose. Over the years, Lime treatment has been broadly used to reinforce the soil but then again it comes with the unscrupulous effects on the soil such as carbonation or sulfate attack. This paper intends to evaluate the effect of fiber reinforcement (coir & jute fiber) obtained from Jodhpur, Rajasthan in improvement of geotechnical behavior of the natural clayey soil mixed with sand along with comparison of two natural fibers in improving soil strength. The author performed direct (UCS) strength test on reinforced and unreinforced soil. Initial test were conducted on coir by varying fiber content/percentage (2%, 2.5% and 3%) and eventually on jute fiber in varying fiber content/percentage (2%, 2.5% and 3%). The present paper indicates that in both the fiber employed for reinforcement exhibited an increment in soil strength. Among coir and jute fiber content/percentage, jute seems to have shown improvement accompanied by enhanced resistance to the cracking. Thus, natural fiber could possibly prevent the ill effects of soil strengthening mechanisms like lime treatment while used for soil reinforcement and conserve the already dilapidating Rajasthan’s soil ecosystem.