Hydro-mechanical Behavior of Glass Fiber Reinforced Clay Barriers

Abstract

The current study highlighted the inclusion of glass fiber reinforcement on various hydro-mechanical properties such as volumetric shrinkage, suction, compressibility and hydraulic conductivity of the clay. The effect of electrolyte on the compressibility and hydraulic conductivity of the clay and reinforced clay soil was studied using two NaCl salt concentrations of 0.5 and 1.0 molarity (M). The results showed that increase in glass fiber content leads to increase in the total suction and hydraulic conductivity of clay marginally, whereas compression index was found to be decreased. For 1.0 M NaCl concentration, the compression index of the clay and reinforced clay soils was found to be decreased by about 31% and 19%, respectively. However, the hydraulic conductivity of the clay and reinforced clay was noted to be increased by about 35 and 9 times, respectively. Therefore, the glass fiber can be used as an effective reinforcement material for contaminated barrier materials to improve its properties.