Investigation of the liquefaction potential of fiber-reinforced sand

Abstract

In the present, the liquefaction potential of fiber-reinforced sandy soils was investigated through the energy-based approach by conducting a series of strain-controlled cyclic simple shear tests. In the tests, the effects of the fiber properties, such as the fiber content, fiber length, relative density and effective stress, and the test parameters on sandy soil improvement were investigated. The results indicated that the fiber inclusion yields to higher cumulative liquefaction energy values compared to the unreinforced (plain) ground by increasing the number of cycles and shear strength needed for the liquefaction of the soil. This result reveals that the fiber inclusion increases the resistance of the soil to liquefaction. However, the increase in the fiber content was determined to be more effective on the test results compared to the fiber length. Furthermore, the increase in the relative density of the soil increases the efficiency of the fibers on soil strengthening.