Stabilization of Expansive Soil Mixture Using Human Hair Fibre (Biopolymer)

Abstract

Expansive soils sensitivity to volumetric change is one of the well-known challenges in the field of geotechnical engineering. Various attempts have been made by researchers to solve this problem. Current research presents the effect of human hair fibers on the behavior of expensive soils. A reconstituted soil of 80% kaolin as raw material and 20% bentonite with different percentages of human hair (0%, 0.5%, 1%, 1.5% and 2%) was used. The microstructure of the formulations was characterized by studying the interactions between soil and human hair using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The microstructure of the formulations was characterized by studying the interactions between soil and human hair using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Atterberg limits, compaction characteristics, swelling parameters, compressibility and shear strength were also examined. The results of this study indicate that the inclusion of human hair fibers significantly improves the properties of the expansive soil mixture. These results open up new prospects for the stabilization of expansive soils.