Experimental investigation on mechanical properties of clay soil reinforced with carbon fiber

Using environmentally friendly, durable, and effective measures to reinforce clay soil are important in geotechnical engineering. This study investigated the mechanical performance of clay soil reinforced with carbon fibers (CF). Unconfined compressive strength tests were performed on soil samples under their optimum water content. The effects of CF length and content on shear strength, failure mode and stress-strain behavior of the reinforced soil samples were examined. The influence of CF on the cohesion and internal friction angels of specimens were also analyzed. Besides, the microstructures of the composite before and after the shear tests were examined by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The tests results demonstrated that the addition of CF can significantly improve the shear strength and cohesion of clay soil. Among all the samples, it is believed that using 3 wt% content of 6 mm CF can offer the best effect on strength improvement as the fibers can be uniformly dispersed in soil specimens and their length is long enough to create an interlocking network between soil particles that restrained the soil movement when subjected to external loads. (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.