Effect of Polypropylene Fibre on Stability of Expansive Soil

Soil stabilization can be explained as the alteration of the soil properties by chemical or physical means in order to enhance the engineering quality of the soil. The process of soil stabilization helps to achieve the required properties in a soil needed for the construction work. Soil improvement could either be by modification or stabilization or both. Soil modification is the addition of a modifier (cement, lime etc.) to a soil to change its index properties, while soil stabilization is the treatment of soils to enable their strength and durability to be improved such that they become totally suitable for construction beyond their original classification. Expansive soils also known as swelling soils or shrink-swell soils are the terms applied to those soils, which have a tendency to swell and shrink with the variation in moisture content. As a result of which significant distress in the soil occurs, causing severe damage to the overlying structure. Soil possesses excellent performance at the optimum moisture content or below the optimum moisture content (dry side of optimum); however the strength and stiffness of soils reduces drastically as the moisture content increases beyond the optimum (wet side of optimum). This study is carried out with an intention to evaluate the effects of polypropylene fiber on the geotechnical properties of the locally available black cotton soil (Expansive soil) from Harihara city. Tests which are to be carried out on the sample of soil dealt with consistency limits, specific gravity, compaction, California bearing ratio, unconfined compressive strength and shear strength. These tests are to be conducted at both non-stabilized and stabilized states by adding 0%, 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 2%, 2.5%, 3% of polypropylene fibre. The results show the effect of polypropylene fibre on geotechnical properties of the soil samples strength.