Increase in Bearing Capacity in Subgrade Composed of Low Plasticity Clays Using Stabilization with Fiberglass Powder

Abstract

Low plasticity clays are characterized by having a high moisture content, low cohesion, and a poor capacity to resist shear stress between soil particles. The behavior of these clays in subgrade for pavements is low performance due to their low resistance capacity to imparted cyclical load. Considering these limitations, subgrade soils must be stabilized to improve their bearing capacity, which must be able to withstand the loads imparted throughout the pavement structure. A sustainable stabilization alternative is the use of recycled fiberglass dust, which improves the performance of the mechanical properties of resistance to the cutting of subgrade soils. This research aims to provide a stabilization proposal applied to supersaturated clay soils with a high percentage of humidity, which reduces the water content between particles and increases the pavement subgrade's bearing capacity. For this, stabilization was carried out in clay soils of low plasticity incorporating recycled fiberglass powder in proportions of 6%, 8%, 10%, and 12% by dry weight of material. To validate the stabilization proposal, the California Bearing Ratio Test (CBR) was performed. Laboratory results showed that CBR increased from 3.7% to 13%. Finally, the Bearing capacity of soils improved by 250% under stabilized conditions.