Comprehensive analysis of mechanical properties of fiberreinforced cementitious sands

In this study, the strength variation of fiber-reinforced cement-added sand soils was examined. The cement contents of the specimens were 2%, 4%, and 6% by the dry weight of the soil. The 6mm long fibers were added at the ratios of 0%, 0.3%, 0.6%, and 0.9% by the dry weight of the soil. The specimens were cured for 7, 14, and 28 days. It was seen that cement ratio and fiber ratio must be considered as separate components of the specimens. 2% cement-added soil specimens with 0.9% fiber and 4% and 6% cement-added soil specimens with 0.6% fiber resulted in the highest compressive strength among their related specimen groups. The stress-strain behavior, deformability index, secant modulus, tangent modulus, and energy absorption capacity of the specimens were evaluated, and the failure modes of the specimens were visually inspected. Freeze-thaw experiments were carried out with 0, 1, and 3 cycles. As the number of cycles increased, the strength of the specimens decreased, but fiber reinforcement was successful to slow down the decrease in strength. The major outcome of this study showed that fiber-reinforced cement-added sand soils could be a successful ground improvement choice even under the effects of freeze-thaw cycles.