USE OF DISCRETE FIBER

IN
ROAD CONSTRUCTION

PRESENTED BY: SACHIN KAPOOR
(II YEAR,CIVIL ENGINEERING)
G. B. PANT UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE & TECHNOLOGY
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We find a great pleasure in availing of this opportunity to express our gratitude
and immense thanks to Dr. P.S. Mahar, Department of Civil Engineering, G..Pant
!niversity of "gri#ulture $ %e#hnology, Pantnagar, for his invalua&le guidan#e,
#onstant help and inspiration. 'is sustained en#ouragement and valua&le suggestions
are spe#ially a#kno(ledged.
We are also inde&ted to pay our sin#ere thanks to Mr. Praveen Chau&ay, student,
final year, Mr. Mohammed Waseem, Mr. )uldeep Singh, third year Civil Engineering,
Pantnagar, for his #o*operation and inspiration.
SACHIN KAPOOR
ABSTRACT
+e( materials and #onstru#tion te#hni,ues are re,uired to provide Civil
Engineering (ith alternatives to traditional road #onstru#tion pra#ti#es. %raditional
te#hni,ues have not &een a&le to &ear the mixed traffi# load for a long time. %herefore the
pavement re,uires overlaying. %o over#ome this pro&lem fi&er in#lusion in pavements is
adopted no(adays. %his paper highlights on the use of discrete fiber in road construction.
-e#ently Geosyntheti#s have &een used to reinfor#e and separate &ase #ourse material for
aggregate*surfa#ed roads and flexi&le pavements. .n#lusion of dis#rete fi&ers in#reases
shear strength and du#tility.
INTRODUCTION
%raditional road #onstru#tion pra#ti#es re,uire alternative materials and
te#hni,ues. /uality #onstru#tion materials are not readily availa&le in many lo#ations
or are #ostly. +e( te#hni,ues availa&le are expensive and re,uire skilled la&our and
spe#ial e,uipments. -e#ently Geosyntheti#s have &een used to reinfor#e and separate
&ase #ourse material for aggregate*surfa#ed roads and flexi&le pavements.
Sand*fi&er sta&ili0ation uses #ommon #onstru#tion e,uipments and re,uires no
spe#ial #onstru#tion skills. Sand*fi&er sta&ili0ation is appli#a&le for a (ide variety of
sands and silty sands found around the (orld. %his method is used for expedient road
#onstru#tion over loose sands.
%he ne( sand*fi&er sta&ili0ation te#hnology uses small amounts of hair*like
polypropylene fi&ers to sta&ili0e the sand. %he t(o*in#h*long fi&ers are simply mixed
into the top eight in#hes of moist sand using a self*propelled rotary mixer. " (earing
surfa#e is added &y spraying a resin modified emulsion 1undiluted road oyl2 or
emulsified asphalt onto the road surfa#e. %he emulsion penetrates and &onds the top
in#h of sand*fi&er mixture. %he ne( sand*fi&er te#hnology allo(s ,ui#k #onstru#tion
of roads over sands at remote sites using redu#ed e,uipment, manpo(er and materials.
%he sand*fi&er mixture is a very erosion resistant material that #ould &e useful in many
erosion #ontrol appli#ations. %his te#hni,ue re,uires very little or no maintenan#e for
years.
LITERATURE REVIEW
" revie( of the literature revealed that various la&oratory investigations have
&een #ondu#ted on fi&er*reinfor#ed materials. Gray and Ohashi indi#ated in#reased
shear strength, in#reased a&sor&ed strain energy, and redu#ed postpeak strength loss due
to the in#lusion of dis#rete fi&ers.
%he in#lusion of dis#rete fi&ers in#reases &oth the #ohesion and the angle of
internal fri#tion of the mixtures. Arteaga suggested the term apparent #ohesion for the
in#rease in #ohesion of #ohesion less materials.
Properties improves due to the in#lusion of dis#rete fi&ers (as determined to &e
a fun#tion of various parameters in#luding fi&er type, fi&er length, aspe#t ratios, fi&er
#ontent, orientation and soil properties. %he peak strength in#reases (ith the in#rease in
fi&er #ontent and fi&er length (Gray and Ohashi 1983; Arteaga 1989).
3.45 fi&ers &y dry (eight of material (ere the optimum dosage rates for a 67
mm monofilament polypropylene fi&er. %he un#onfined #ompressive strength #an &e
used as an index of field performan#e &ased on the tests #ondu#ted. 8or sand*fi&er
sta&ili0ation over sandy su&grade, the sta&ili0ed thi#kness re,uirement should &e 936
mm. " :39 mm thi#k sand*fi&er layer is suffi#ient (Webster and Santoni 1997).
%he resin modified emulsion 1!ndiluted -oad ;yl2 improves the properties of
the mixture. .t (orks as the &inder for expedient road and serve the purpose for dust
#ontrol 1Webster and Santoni 7<<=2.
PREPARATION OF THE MIXTURE
%he literature revie( gives us the lesson that there are three #riti#al
#omponents for preparing fi&er*sta&ili0ed material>
7. Moisture #ontrol
:. Mixing pro#edure
9. Compa#tion.
MOISTURE CONTROL
Moisture is re,uired to ade,uately mix and mold the mixture. .t is re,uired to
prevent separation of the sand and fi&ers during the mixing pro#ess and to prevent
mixture distur&an#e.
MIXING PROCEDURE
"n appropriate amount of sand (as pla#ed in the mixing #ontainer. %hen the
re,uired (ater is mixed into the sand in small in#rements to ensure uniform #overage.
%he fi&ers are mixed in small in#rements using a t(o*&laded mortar mixing &it
po(dered &y an ele#tri# drill. %ake #are during the mixing pro#edure to ensure a
uniform sand*fi&er mixture.
COMPACTION
Compa#tion is re,uired for the mixture densifi#ation, (hi#h is done, in different
layers to get more sta&le layers. %he idea of #ompa#tion pro#edure #an &e o&tained &y
study of #ompa#tion test in (hi#h sand*fi&er mixture is pla#ed in a high #ast iron split
mold and then densifi#ation in different layers is performed &y hammering. Generally,
up to :3 or more &lo(s.
EFFECTS OF USING DISCRETE FIBER
%he in#lusion of dis#rete fi&ers in#reases the #ohesion of the mixture. %he
in#rease in #ohesion of typi#ally #ohesion less materials due to the in#lusion of
dis#rete fi&ers (as termed the ?apparent #ohesion@ of the material.
%he in#lusion of dis#rete fi&ers in#reases the angle of internal fri#tion of the
mixture.
EFFECT OF FIBER LENGTH
8i&er length improves the un#onfined #ompressive strength of the mixture. "s
the fi&er length is in#reases the strength of the mixture also in#reases.
EFFECT OF FIBER CONTENT
%he performan#e of the mixture in#reases (ith the in#rease in fi&er #ontent.
Mixture prepared at dosage rates of 3.A*7.35 exhi&its the strain hardening
#hara#teristi#s. Strain hardening is #hara#teri0ed &y in#rease in un#onfined
#ompressive strength (ith a #orresponding in#rease in strain. %he density of the
mixture de#reases (ith the in#rease in fi&er #ontent. 'en#e it performs &est up to a
dosage rate of 7.35 only.

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EFFECT OF FIBER DENIER
%he un#onfined #ompressive strength of the mixture de#reases slightly (ith the
in#rease in fi&er denier. %he de#rease in the strength is not signifi#ant. %he in#rease in
performan#e (ith de#reasing fi&er denier may &e attri&uted to the slight in#rease in
the num&er of fi&ers due to using smaller diameter fi&ers (hen dosage rates are
#al#ulated.
EFFECT OF SILT CONTENT
%he in#lusion silt de#reases the un#onfined #ompressive strength of sand. %he
in#lusion of up to 45 silt does not affe#t mu#h in terms of in#reased un#onfined
#ompressive strength (hen #ompared to the fi&er*sta&ili0ed #lean sands. %he results
sho( that silt #ontent up to 7:5 performs similar to the fi&er*sta&ili0ed #lean sand.
EFFECT OF MOISTURE CONTENT
%he performan#e of the mixture enhan#e &y the in#lusion of dis#rete syntheti#
fi&er at any moisture #ontent. %he results sho( that the performan#e in#reases (ith
the in#rease in moisture #ontent. %he mixtureCs un#onfined #ompressive strength
in#reases signifi#antly from &ase moisture #ontent of :.A5 to 7D5. eyond <.35
moisture, the mixtureCs un#onfined #ompressive strength is less &enefi#ial and less
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Defle#tion
effe#tive as the saturation point of 7D5 moisture #ontent is a#hieved. "t the saturation
point its performan#e is less (ith the #omposite mixture.



EFFECT OF COMPACTION

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EFFECT OF EMULSION
-oad ;yl is sprayed over sand*fi&er surfa#e su#h that it penetrates in the top one
in#h of the surfa#e. %hi#kness of the sand su&grade is eight in#hes and the thi#kness of
fi&er*sta&ili0ed sand is four in#hes. %his pro#ess #ontrols dust and &inds the mixture.
.t provides higher &onding strength than hot applied asphalt emulsion.
ADVANTAGES OF USING SAND-FIBER STABILIATION
"pparent #ohesion of the mixture in#reases.
"ngle of internal fri#tion of the mixture in#reases.
Strain hardening #hara#teristi#s are o&tained.
Shear strength and a&sor&ed strain energy are in#reased.
.t uses #ommon #onstru#tion e,uipments and re,uires no spe#ial #onstru#tion
skills.
.t is erosion resistant material hen#e in#reases life of roads.
.t re,uires little maintenan#e hen#e e#onomi#al.
.t is also environmental friendly as prevent the use of asphalt as &inder.
CONCLUSIONS
Sand* fi&er te#hnology is e#onomi#al and far more dura&le than normal methods
of road #onstru#tion. With respe#t to mixed traffi# #onditions like the one existing in
.ndia this type of roads (ill prove far more su##essful than the roads &uilt (ith
traditional methods. Materials used #an &e easily transported even to remote areas. "s
spe#ified a&ove this te#hni,ue does not re,uire mu#h skilled la&our. %his te#hnology
allo(s ,ui#k #onstru#tion of roads over sands at remote sites. %his te#hnology is
environmental friendly.
REFERENCES
"rteaga, C.. 17<4<2. ?%he shear strength of ;tta(a sand mixed (ith dis#rete
short length plasti# fi&ers.@ %hesis, Mississippi State !niversity, Mississippi State,
Miss.
Gray, D.'., and ;hashi, '. 17<492. ?Me#hani#s of fi&er reinfor#ement in sand.@
J Geotech !ngrg., "SCE, 73<192, 996*969.
We&ster, S.E., and Santoni, -.E. 17<<=2. ?Contingen#y airfield and road
#onstru#tion using geosyntheti# fi&er sta&ili0ation of sands.@ %e#h. -ep. GE*<=*D, !.S.
"rmy Engr. Water(ays Experiment station, Fi#ks&urg, Miss.