Study of the Effect of Waste Glass Fibers Incorporation on the Collapsible Soil Stability Behavior

Abstract

Soil collapse remains a major issue affecting structural foundations, particularly in arid and semi-arid zones where humidification is a key factor contributing to the collapse. Much research has been devoted to identifying treatment methods which enhance the stability and load-bearing capacity of this type of soil. This paper investigates the potential advantages of the addition of milled glass fibers (Fg ). Soil samples were prepared at different compaction energies and various water contents, then treated with different percentages of milled glass fiber, before being submitted to the simple consolidation odometer test. The results obtained in this study showed that soil samples treated with an optimal dosage of 6% of milled glass fibers compacted at 60 blows and humidified at 6% of moisture content. This represents an improvement in the stability of the soil, reducing the collapse potential (Cp) from 11.95% to 1.62%. This treatment method produces soil which can be classified as a moderate risk foundation soil according to the Jennings and Knight evaluation metrics (1975). Keywords: collapsible soils, arid zones, fiberglass, odometer test.