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Compaction characteristics and strength of BC soil reinforced with untreated and treated coir fibers

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Abstract

Black cotton soils, because of its high swelling and shrinkage characteristics, have been a challenge to geotechnical engineers. Use of natural reinforcing materials in soil such as jute and coir has the advantage that they are available at low cost. Among the natural reinforcing fibers in soil, coir has the greatest tensile strength and retains its property even in wet conditions and has been used in many non-critical civil engineering applications. In the present study, compaction characteristics of black cotton soil (BC soil) admixed at different percentage of untreated and treated coir fibers were used with optimum lime content and without lime content. Alkali-treated and epoxy resin-coated and stone dust-sprinkled coir fibers have been comparatively assessed in terms of compaction characteristics and strength of fiber-reinforced BC soil. The present study indicated that the maximum dry density decreases with increase in percentage of coir fibers for both black cotton soils with and without optimum lime content. Marginal variation in maximum dry density (MDD) when fiber content is varied from 0 to 0.5% occurs and beyond 0.5% fiber content significant reduction in MDD occurs. Increasing fiber content increases the corresponding optimum moisture content (OMC) indicating addition of fiber increases water absorption by coir fibers causing an increase in OMC. However, the alkali treatment of coir fiber causes a significant reduction in water absorption leading to significant improvement in compaction characteristics and strength of BC soil.

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Abbreviations

BC:

Black cotton soil

MDD:

Maximum dry density

OMC:

Optimum moisture content

UCF:

Untreated coir fiber

TCF:

Treated coir fiber

ATCF:

Alkali-treated coir fiber

OLC:

Optimum lime content

NaOH:

Sodium hydroxide

C2H6O:

Ethanol

C6H6 :

Benzene

SEM:

Scanning electron microscopy

UCS:

Unconfined compressive strength

XRD:

X-ray diffraction

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Acknowledgements

The first and second authors express sincere thanks to Karnataka Coir Board Industry. Gubbi, Tumkur District, for having supplied coir fibers used in the present experimental study. Sincere acknowledgement to Department of Civil Engineering, Monash University, Malaysia, for having permitted and carried out XRD and SEM studies of untreated and treated coir fibers and fiber-reinforced BC soil samples. Sincere thanks also to CIVIL AID Techno clinic, Bengaluru and Central Silk Technological Research Institute, Central Silk Board, Government of India, Bengaluru—for having carried out Mechanical properties and Chemical Composition of coir fibers used in the present study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. NITTE Meenakshi Institute of Technology, Bangalore, India

    C. Jairaj

  2. Ghousia College of Engineering, Ramanagara, Karnataka, India

    C. Jairaj

  3. Department of Civil Engineering, RNS Institute of Technology, Bangalore, India

    M. T. Prathap Kumar

  4. School of Engineering, Monash University Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia

    M. E. Raghunandan

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  1. C. Jairaj
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  2. M. T. Prathap Kumar
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  3. M. E. Raghunandan
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Correspondence to C. Jairaj.

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Jairaj, C., Prathap Kumar, M.T. & Raghunandan, M.E. Compaction characteristics and strength of BC soil reinforced with untreated and treated coir fibers. Innov. Infrastruct. Solut. 3, 21 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41062-017-0123-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41062-017-0123-2

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