Subgrade Strength Prediction Modeling On Fiber-Reinforced Expansive Soil Treated With Alkali Activated Binder

Expansive sub-grade soil is exposed to volumetric imbalance due to frequent moisture fluctuations resulting in insufficient ultimate strength and degradation of pavement surface serviceability. On the other hand, traditional binders have a major environmental impact by generating greenhouse gases. The potential impacts of an environmentally friendly alkaline active binder (AAB) and chemically modified jute fiber (JF) are investigated in this study in order to improve the sub-grade strength behavior of expansive soil. The research also compares JF reinforcement’s effectiveness in AAB to conventional lime binders by conducting a set of sub-soil strength performance evaluation tests (such as penetration, tensile, and flexural strength) at different fiber dosages. AAB is produced by combining pozzolanic precursors (Class F fly ash) with an alkali solution containing a mixture of sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide. The effects of changing fiber and binder doses (both AAB and lime) on CBR, tensile strength ratio, and modulus of rupture parameters in JF-reinforced soil were significant. JF-AAB soil has greater interfacial interaction, high interconnecting density, and tensile resistance to cracking than JF-lime-soil. Non-linear regression equations for modulus of rupture tests are provided for fiber-reinforced alkaline soil, which is employed as a sub-grade resistance performance character. The experimental and model-predicted findings for the fiber-alkaline soil mixture suggest a good trend for low-volume roads.