Fracture properties of fibre reinforced soil

Project Title:

Supervisor(s):

Ooi Ean Tat

Contact person and email address:

Ean Ooi - e.ooi@federation.edu.au

A brief description of the project:

Both synthetic and natural fibres are good potential to act as reinforcement agents for soils. Fibre addition has been shown to successfully enhance important soil properties such as tensile strength and dry density. Although the addition of fibre provides additional strength to soils, some observations note that the heterogeneity inherent in fibre reinforced soils introduces local regions of stress concentrations where cracks can nucleate, which can have a negative impact on the soil characteristics. This project aims to investigate the properties of reinforced soil with synthetic fibre using both experimental and numerical tools. The outcome of the project will enhance the fundamental understanding of the role of fibres in quantifying the fracture characteristics and the strength of the soil. Ultimately, the construction industry can make more informed decisions on the design and management of structures built with/on fibre reinforced soils.