Small-strain properties of soft clay treated with fibre and cement

To improve the dynamic properties of soft soil, the cement treatment technique combined with fibre reinforcement can be employed. In this study, the effects of two types of fibres (polypropylene and recycled carpet) on the hardening process and small-strain properties of cement-treated kaolinite and bentonite clays are investigated. Cement-treated clay specimens were prepared using cement contents of 5%, 10% and 15% by weight of dry soil for the kaolinite samples, and 30%, 40% and 50% for the bentonite samples. To investigate and understand the influence of different fibre types and contents, three different percentages of fibre content were adopted: 0.1%, 0.2% and 0.5% polypropylene fibres, and 0.5%, 0.75% and 1% carpet fibres. The results of bender element tests on 126 cylindrical samples of cement-treated clay with various cement and fibre contents were analysed to discern the relationships between fibre and cement content and the small-strain mechanical properties, including the shear wave velocity and maximum small-strain shear modulus of the treated soil. The influence of fibres and cement contents on the hardening time of treated soil has also been investigated. © 2013 Thomas Telford Ltd