Analysis of Fiber Reinforcement on Shear Strength of Kaolin Clay Soil

This report investigates the impact of fiber reinforcement on the shear strength of clay soil, focusing on the use of Kaolin. The study examines the influence of clay content, water content, and the clay-sand ratio on soil strength. The report details the experimental methods, including the use of a shear vane device, and discusses the results in relation to factors such as temperature and the fineness of sand grains. It compares the strength of different clay types and analyzes the relationship between water content, shear strength, and liquid limit. The research highlights the importance of understanding the basic factors that influence soil strength, particularly in cohesive soils. The findings emphasize how the interplay of bound and unbound water affects the strength of clay-water mixtures. The report concludes by discussing the implications of these findings for civil engineering applications and provides references to relevant literature.

REPORT:
Effect of Fiber Reinforcement of Shear Strength of clay soil
using Kaolin
Abstract
Engineers have worked greatly on measurement the strength of soils however comparatively
very little on the basic earth science causes of strength (Guang-xin Li, 2009). Strength depends
primarily upon the content of water, clastic materials and plastic materials. Soils are primarily of
2 sorts cohesion less soils during which the strength is made principally by the friction of clastic
particles against each other, and cohesive soils during which the strength, among different things,
is influenced by forces between clay particles. the current investigation may be a study of the
result of clay content upon the strength of cohesive soils. The strength was measured by a shear
vane device operating upon artificial mixtures of clays of noted composition. In every mixture
strength varies reciprocally with water content in an exceedingly line relationship once strength
is aforethought logarithmically and water arithmetically. Mixtures of glycerin with vol-clay (a
montmorillonite) provides a curving relationship. For given water content the strength will
increase with reference to form of clay from terra alba through illite, ball clay to montmorillonite
(Yong, 1981). Strength additionally will increase more and more with increasing clay-sand
quantitative relation for every type of clay. In clay-sand mixtures of given clay composition
strength will increase with increasing fineness of grain of the sand mixed with clay. The liquid
limit likewise will increase frequently with increasing clay concentration and varies with clay
kind fci the identical approach as will strength. Strength varies reciprocally with temperature to a
small extent, changing jess than one-hundredth per degree Centigrade. atomic number 1 terra
alba clay, for given water content is many times stronger than Na clay (Mitchell, 2001).
Introduction
Engineers are primarily inquisitive about determinative quantitatively the strength of soils,
instead of the essential factors that impart strength. The purpose of this investigation is to check
the consequences of a number of the basic factors influencing strength of soils. Strength is
caused in the main by 3 factors water, clastic particles, and plastic particles. Soils and sediments
are of 2 sorts with regard to strength: cohesion less soils, composed principally of clastic
particles and cohesive soils, that contain substantial quantities of plastic particles and ranging
quantities of clastic particles (Shuenn-Yih Chang, 2012). within the cohesive soils composed of
clastic particles, that is, broken or transported particles of sand or silt size, the strength is caused
primarily by the friction of the particles against each other and water is of comparatively little
impact. within the cohesive soils the strength is influenced by forces of attraction between
particles of clay size. it's convenient to assume of such particles as plastic particles as a result of

the convey physical property and cohesiveness to soils. If clastic particles are gift in cohesive
soils they modify the strength. because the causes of strength in cohesive soils are less well
understood than the causes of strength ii cohesion less soils, the current investigation has been
devoted primarily to the causes of strength in cohesive soils, and specifically to the impact of
clay content upon strength (Thyagaraj, 2018).
Materials and Methods
In every experiment clay or a clay-sand mixture is mixed with quantity of water near the liquid
limit of the soil, and also the shear strength is measured with force vane. A sample for
determination of water content is taken instantly once the strength is measured. If the sample for
water content isn't removed instantly, water evaporates from the sediment, that causes abnormal
results (George M. Reeves, 2006). After the shear strength is measured, further material is side to
the sample and totally mixed into it. The shear strength is once more recorded and the water
content measured. additional sediment is side till 5 or six determinations are created. The results
are then planned on emilogarithmic paper with shear strength planned logarithmically and the
water content arithmetically. The experiments with given varieties of clays systematically
provide sleek curves as shown by Figs. 3 and 4.
An effort was created to stay the sands saturated. The consistency of the results suggests that the
samples were saturated. In getting ready the samples, mixtures of desired proportions of clay and
sand were made before adding water. In decoding the result of water content one ought to bear in
mind that the water is measured consistent with the practice of engineers, that is that the
magnitude relation of the burden of the water to the weight of the dried sediment expressed as %.
it's not the percent of water within the sediment as usually utilized by geologists (Azzam, 2004).
When the investigation was 1st started water was side in successive increments to the samples,
however this procedure proved less practicable than beginning with dilute mixtures and
increasing the concentration by adding sediment. The sediments failing at fairly sharp finish
points. Measurements were made from strain before failure. As a rule, the sediments failing
before five grams had been side once 1st trace of noticeable movement Thus the error in
mensuration is a smaller amount than five % and for many determinations is a smaller amount
than three %. Satisfactory duplicates were readily obtained.

Discussion

The results of this investigation are conferred in 2 elements cohesionless and cohesive soils.
Cohesionless soils tested with the shear vane device gave abnormal results due to the impact of
dilatancy, and once preliminary experimentation weren't studied further.
The impact of sorting upon shear strength was tested on a traditional direct shear device below vi
pounds per sq. in traditional load. The results as shown in Fig. two indicate that the shear
strength will increase with increasing poorness of sorting. All tests were created with unnaturally
mixed sands of one hundred thirty-five microns’ median diameter. The shear strength hyperbolic
often from nine .2 pounds per sq. in for sediments having a constant of sorting of one.2 to 10.6
pounds per square inch for a constant of sorting of one.7. the information isn’t significantly
consistent however they exhibit a general trend.
Conclusion
The strength of clays varies with clay kind. For given water content illite is slightly stronger than
china stone. Ball clays, that are a mix of kaolin, oxide and organic matter are slightly stronger
than illite. Montmorillonite is way stronger than any of the opposite clays. For given shear
strength the ‘water content will increase increasingly from china stone through illite to
montmorillonite. Montmorillonite, for given strength contains rather more water than the
opposite clays. it's fascinating that the base exchange capability of the clays varies in a lot of the
identical manner as the water content-strength relationships. The strength in how is related to the
inherent properties of the clay.
For given water content the strength will increase with increasing clay-sand quantitative relation
and for given strength the water content likewise will increase with increasing Clay-Sand ratio.
equally with increasing fineness of grain of admixed sand particles, the strength and water
content increase within the same approach. It is on the far side the scope of this paper to clarify
the elemental chemical science of the causes of strength in clay-water mixtures. For good
discussions of this subject see. In clay-water mixtures, the water happens essentially in 2 ways;
particularly, certain and unbound water. certain water is water related to molecular and electrical
forces close clay particles and for given clay minerals has additional or less similar dimensions.
Unbound water is water between particles and is found outside of bound water. For soils of given
water content, when the content of clay will increase in sand-clay mixtures and once the
dimensions of the particles diminishes, the dimensions of the pores between particles diminishes
with the result that the quantitative relation of guaranteed to unbound water will increase,
because the thickness of the certain water layer presumptively doesn't amendment materially and
also the dimensions of the unbound water essentially should diminish causing the bound-
unbound water quantitative relation to extend. Since the strength among different things is
expounded to the forces that bind the water to the clay particles, the strength for given water
content ought to likewise increase as the relative proportions of certain water will increase.
With relation to increase in water content for clays of given strength, if the strength remains
constant the quantitative relation between certain and unbound water should likewise stay
moderately constant. If the surface areas of the particles will increase or if the thickness of the
certain layer increases, the content of unbound water should likewise increase if the quantitative
relation of guaranteed to unbound water is to stay constant. so with increasing clay content in

clay-sand mixtures, or with increasing fineness of grain with ensuing increase in content of
certain water, the whole content of water each bound and unbound should increase for clays of
constant strength.
With relation to liquid limit, since the liquid limit check is basically a live of the water content
for constant strength conditions, the liquid limit ought to follow the identical relationships as do
the strength relationships delineated on top of. although the liquid limit might not be an actual
measure of strength, it represents the energy needed to shut a furrow with twenty-five blows
below normal conditions, and per se may be a kind of live of strength.

References
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