ACTERISTICS OF FIBRE REINFORCED SAND AS PAVEMENT SUBGRADE

Abstract

The conventional soil improvement techniques are generally expensive, involving large quantity of costly materials and construction operations, so there is a need to explore the possibility of using low cost material which can improve the properties of the soil in a better way. This is the main reason that the fibre reinforced earth is gaining popularity these days. In case of fibre reinforced soil the main advantage is the ability to maintain the strength isotropy and the absence of potential plane of weakness that can develop parallel to the oriented reinforcement. This dissertation report presents the effects of inclusion of polypropylene fibres with local Roorkee sand. Treating the composite soil as homogeneous and isotropic material , C.S.R. tests, triaxial tests and plate load tests are selected as the basic engineering tests to investigate the effects of fibre inclusion on the strength and behaviour (California bearing ratio, cohesion, angle of internal friction, shear strength, bearing strength and modulus of subgrade reaction, of the soil. An attempt has also been made to recommend a suitable fibre-sand combination for practical applications, which would create a confidence amongst the construction agencies to adopt the new technique. 1 U