Analysis of Mechanical Properties of Fiber-Reinforced Soil Cement Based on Kaolin

Abstract

Adding fibers into cement to form fiber-reinforced soil cement material can effectively enhance its physical and mechanical properties. In order to investigate the effect of fiber type and dosage on the strength of fiber-reinforced soil cement, polypropylene fibers (PPFs), polyvinyl alcohol fibers (PVAFs), and glass fibers (GFs) were blended according to the mass fraction of the mixture of cement and dry soil (0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, and 2%). Unconfined compressive strength tests, split tensile strength tests, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) tests, and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) pore structure analysis tests were conducted. The results indicated that the unconfined compressive strength of the three types of fiber-reinforced soil cement peaked at a fiber dosage of 0.5%, registering 26.72 MPa, 27.49 MPa, and 27.67 MPa, respectively. The split tensile strength of all three fiber-reinforced soil cement variants reached their maximum at a 1.5% fiber dosage, recording 2.29 MPa, 2.34 MPa, and 2.27 MPa, respectively. The predominant pore sizes in all three fiber-reinforced soil cement specimens ranged from 10 nm to 100 nm. Furthermore, analysis from the perspective of energy evolution revealed that a moderate fiber dosage can minimize energy loss. This paper demonstrates that the unconfined compressive strength test, split tensile strength test, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) pore structure analysis offer theoretical underpinnings for the utilization of fiber-reinforced soil cement in helical pile core stiffening and broader engineering applications.