USE OF DISCRETE FIBER

IN
ROAD CONSTRUCTION

PREPARED BY,
V.KOTESWARA REDDY,

III-BTECH (CIVIL),
G.PULLA REDDY ENGINEERING COLLEGE,
PH.NO:9440452865,
MAIL:[email protected]

AND
N.SARATH KUMAR
III-BTECH (CIVIL),
G.PULLA REDDY ENGINEERING COLLEGE,
PH.NO:9032290630
MAIL:[email protected]

aggregate-surfaced roads and flexible

ABSTRACT:

pavements.
New materials and construction
techniques are required to provide Civil
Engineering

with

alternatives

to

traditional road construction practices.

Traditional techniques have not been
able to bear the mixed traffic load for a
long time. Therefore the pavement
requires overlaying. To overcome this
problem fiber inclusion in pavements is
adopted nowadays. This paper highlights

Sand-fiber stabilization uses

common construction equipments and
requires
skills.

Recently

special

Sand-fiber

construction

stabilization

is

applicable for a wide variety of sands

and silty sands found around the
world. This method is used for
expedient road construction over
loose sands.

on the use of discrete fiber in road

construction.

no

The

new

sand-fiber

Geosynthetics

stabilization technology uses small

have been used to reinforce and separate

amounts of hair-like polypropylene

base course material for aggregate-

fibers to stabilize the sand. The two-

surfaced roads and flexible pavements.

inch-long fibers are simply mixed

Inclusion of discrete fibers increases

into the top eight inches of moist sand

shear strength and ductility.

using a self-propelled rotary mixer. A

INTRODUCTION:
Traditional road construction
practices require alternative materials
and techniques. Quality construction
materials are not readily available in
many locations or are costly. New
techniques available are expensive
and require skilled labour and special
equipments. Recently Geosynthetics
have been used to reinforce and
separate base course material for

wearing surface is added by spraying

a resin modified emulsion (undiluted
road oyl) or emulsified asphalt onto
the road surface. The emulsion
penetrates and bonds the top inch of
sand-fiber mixture. The new sandfiber

technology

allows

quick

construction of roads over sands at

remote

sites

using

reduced

equipment, manpower and materials.

The sand-fiber mixture is a very
erosion resistant material that could
be useful in many erosion control

applications. This technique requires

0.8% fibers by dry weight of

very little or no maintenance for

material were the optimum dosage

years.

rates for a 51 mm monofilament

polypropylene fiber. The unconfined

LITERATURE REVIEW:

compressive strength can be used as an

index of field performance based on

A review of the literature

revealed

that

various

laboratory

investigations have been conducted on

fiber-reinforced materials. Gray and
Ohashi

indicated

increased

shear

strength, increased absorbed strain

energy, and reduced postpeak strength
loss due to the inclusion of discrete
fibers.

the tests conducted. For sand-fiber

stabilization over sandy subgrade, the
stabilized thickness requirement should
be 305 mm. A 203 mm thick sand-fiber
layer is sufficient (Webster and Santoni
1997).
The resin modified emulsion
(Undiluted Road Oyl) improves the

The inclusion of discrete fibers

increases both the cohesion and the
angle of internal friction of the
mixtures. Arteaga suggested the term
apparent cohesion for the increase in

properties of the mixture. It works as

the binder for expedient road and serve
the purpose for dust control (Webster
and Santoni 1997).

PREPARATION OF THE MIXTURE:

cohesion of cohesion less materials.

The literature review gives us
Properties improves due to the
inclusion

of

discrete

fibers

was

determined to be a function of various

the lesson that there are three critical

components

for

preparing

fiber-

stabilized material:

parameters including fiber type, fiber

length, aspect ratios, fiber content,

1. Moisture control

orientation and soil properties. The

2. Mixing

peak

strength

increases

with

the

increase in fiber content and fiber

length

(Gray

Arteaga 1989).

and

Ohashi

procedure
3. Compaction.

1983;

MOISTURE CONTROL:

Moisture

to

split mold and then densification in

adequately mix and mold the mixture.

different layers is performed by

It is required to prevent separation of

hammering. Generally, up to 20 or

the sand and fibers during the mixing

more blows.

process

is

required

and to prevent mixture

EFFECTS OF USING DISCRETE

disturbance.

FIBER:

MIXING PROCEDURE:

The inclusion of discrete

An appropriate amount of sand

fibers increases the cohesion

was placed in the mixing container.

of the mixture. The increase in

Then the required water is mixed into

cohesion of typically cohesion

the sand in small increments to ensure

less materials due to the

uniform coverage. The fibers are

inclusion of discrete fibers

mixed in small increments using a

was termed the apparent

two-bladed

cohesion of the material.

mortar

mixing

bit

powdered by an electric drill. Take

care during the mixing procedure to
ensure a uniform sand-fiber mixture.

The inclusion of discrete

fibers increases the angle of
internal

COMPACTION:
Compaction is required for the

friction

of

the

mixture.

EFFECT OF FIBER LENGTH:

mixture densification, which is done,

in different layers to get more stable

Fiber

length

improves

the

layers. The idea of compaction

unconfined compressive strength of

procedure can be obtained by study of

the mixture. As the fiber length is

compaction test in which sand-fiber

increases the strength of the mixture

mixture is placed in a high cast iron

also increases.

The performance of the mixture

increases with the increase in fiber
content. Mixture prepared at dosage
rates of 0.6-1.0% exhibits the strain
hardening

characteristics.

Strain

hardening is characterized by increase

in unconfined compressive strength

Unconfined compressive strength

EFFECT OF FIBER CONTENT:

with a corresponding increase in

Deflection

strain. The density of the mixture

decreases with the increase in fiber
content. Hence it performs best up to

EFFECT OF FIBER DENIER:

a dosage rate of 1.0% only.

The unconfined compressive

strength of the mixture decreases
slightly with the increase in fiber
Density, kg/m3

denier. The decrease in the strength is

not significant. The increase in
performance with decreasing fiber
denier may be attributed to the slight
increase in the number of fibers due
to using smaller diameter fibers when
Fiber, %

dosage rates are calculated.

EFFECT OF SILT CONTENT:

The inclusion silt decreases the
unconfined compressive strength of
sand. The inclusion of up to 8% silt
does not affect much in terms of
increased unconfined compressive

strength when compared to the fiberstabilized clean sands. The results

performs

similar

to

the

fiber-

stabilized clean sand.

EFFECT OF MOISTURE CONTENT:

Density, kg/m3

show that silt content up to 12%

The performance of the mixture

enhance by the inclusion of discrete
synthetic fiber at

any moisture

Moisture content, %

content. The results show that the

performance

increases

with

the

EFFECT OF COMPACTION:

increase in moisture content. The

mixtures unconfined compressive
strength increases significantly from

14%. Beyond 9.0% moisture, the

mixtures unconfined compressive
strength is less beneficial and less
effective as the saturation point of

Strength, kPa

base moisture content of 2.6% to

14% moisture content is achieved. At

the saturation point its performance is
less with the composite mixture.
Deflection, %

EFFECT OF EMULSION:
Road Oyl is sprayed over sandfiber surface such that it penetrates in
the top one inch of the surface.

Thickness of the sand subgrade is

eight inches and the thickness of

Angle of internal friction of the

mixture increases.

fiber-stabilized sand is four inches.

This process controls dust and binds
the mixture. It provides higher
bonding strength than hot applied

Shear strength and absorbed strain

energy are increased.

asphalt emulsion.
It uses common construction
equipments and requires no
special construction skills.

It is erosion resistant material

hence of roads.

It requires little
hence economical.

maintenance

It is also environmental friendly

as prevent the use of asphalt as
binder.
ADVANTAGES

OF USING

SAND-FIBER

CONCLUSIONS:

STABILIZATION:

Sand-

Increases life Strain hardening

characteristics are obtained.

fiber

technology

is

economical and far more durable than

normal methods of road construction.
With

respect

to

mixed

traffic

conditions like the one existing in

Apparent cohesion
mixture increases.

of

the

India this type of roads will prove far

more successful than the roads built
with traditional methods. Materials
used can be easily transported even to

remote areas. As specified above this

technique does not require much
skilled

labour.

This

technology

allows quick construction of roads .

References:

Arteaga, C.B. (1989). The

shear strength of Ottawa sand mixed
with discrete short length plastic
fibers. Thesis, Mississippi State
University, Mississippi State, Miss.
Gray, D.H., and Ohashi, H.
(1983).
Mechanics
of
fiber
reinforcement in sand. J. Geotech.
Engrg., ASCE, 109(3), 335-353.
Webster, S.L., and Santoni,
R.L. (1997). Contingency airfield
and
road
construction
using
geosynthetic fiber stabilization of
sands. Tech. Rep. GL-97-4, U.S.
Army Engr. Waterways Experiment
station, Vicksburg, Miss.