Abstract
Basalt fiber is a promising reinforcement agent for loess engineering. In this study, unconfined compressive tests facilitated with the digital image correlation (3D-DIC) method were carried out on basalt fiber–reinforced loess to obtain the deformation images and surface strain fields at different loading moments. The reinforcement mechanism of samples with different fiber contents and fiber lengths was interpreted from the microstructure obtained by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Results showed that the stress–strain curves of fiber-reinforced samples are all strain-softening. The curves of unconfined compressive strength (UCS) versus fiber length or fiber content manifest an overall inverted U-shaped pattern. The optimal reinforcement effect was observed at a fiber content of 0.6% and a fiber length of 12 mm. The failure strain, plasticity ratio, and energy absorption capacity of samples vary with fiber content or fiber length like that of the UCS. Fracture of unreinforced loess was noted, characterized by brittle failure, while the reinforced loess exhibits bulging failure with ductile characteristics. The surface strain field shows that the maximum axial strain varies with fiber content and fiber length in contrast to the strength. The deformation of the sample is more uniform under the optimal fiber condition, and the effect of fiber content is significantly greater than that of fiber length. SEM images indicate that the fibers are more uniformly distributed in the soil at lower fiber contents and smaller fiber lengths. Otherwise, significant entanglement or agglomeration will occur, resulting in the creation of weak surfaces in the soil.
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Data availability
Some or all data, models, or codes that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank Mr. Xiang Dai from XTOP 3D Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. for his strong support in 3D-DIC technique. This support is greatly appreciated.
Funding
The work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 51878551 and 51778528).
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Conceptualization: Jian Xu; methodology: Jian Xu, Songhe Wang; formal analysis and investigation: Zhipeng Wu, Minghui Zhang; writing — original draft preparation: Minghui Zhang, Zhipeng Wu; writing — review and editing: Zhipeng Wu, Weihang Ye; data curation: Zhipeng Wu, Minghui Zhang; funding acquisition: Jian Xu, Songhe Wang; resources: Jian Xu, Songhe Wang; supervision: Jian Xu, Songhe Wang.
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Xu, J., Wu, Z., Zhang, M. et al. Unconfined compression behavior of basalt fiber–reinforced loess based on digital image correlation and scanning electron microscope. Bull Eng Geol Environ 82, 396 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-023-03424-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-023-03424-9