Influence of fibres on volume change attributes of expansive soil blended with lime

Abstract

Expansive soils are considered to be highly problematic due to their dual swell–shrink behaviour. In recent years, polymeric fibres are used to control the volume change behaviour of expansive soils. In this study, different proportions of lime and fibres were used to study the swelling and shrinkage behaviour of expansive soils. The test results showed that swelling tended to decrease slightly with an increase in the fibre content, whereas shrinkage decreased significantly with the addition of fibres. The optimum fibre content was found to be 2%. Both swelling and shrinkage tended to decrease significantly with increasing the lime content. It was also found that the optimum lime content is different for controlling swelling and shrinkage. Therefore, expansive soil specimens blended with 2% fibre and with varying lime contents were tested. The addition of 2% fibre helped to reduce the content of lime required for controlling shrinkage. It was found that blending 2% fibres and 5% lime together in expansive soils is effective for controlling both swelling and shrinkage behaviour.