Shear Strength and Mesoscopic Characteristics of Basalt Fiber–Reinforced Loess after Dry–Wet Cycles
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 34, Issue 6
Abstract
Frequent dry–wet cycles induced uneven settlement and slope failure of transportation infrastructures in the Loess Plateau of China. Fiber reinforcement provides a method for solving these problems. In this study, a digital image–based triaxial shear test system was adopted through which to study the dry–wet action on mechanical behavior and failure mode of basalt fiber–reinforced loess. The apparent cracks and mesostructure of fiber-reinforced loess after dry–wet cycles were observed by digital camera and X-ray computed tomography technique (CT). Results show that the shear strength of fiber-reinforced loess decreases after dry–wet cycles, whereas it shows inverted U-shaped variations with fiber content, with the optimal resistance to dry–wet action at 0.6%. Compared with unreinforced loess, the samples with fiber reinforcement show fewer cracks, implying the effectiveness of fibers in inhibiting initiation and propagation of apparent cracks. The failure mode changes from brittle shear failure to overall bulging after fiber addition. The CT scan results showed that the fibers inhibited the generation and propagation of microcracks, and the damage mainly occurred in the early stage of the dry–wet cycles.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
Acknowledgments
The research described in this paper was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51878551, 51478385, and 51778528), the Research Fund of the State Key Laboratory of Eco-Hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region, Xi’an University of Technology (Grant No. QNZX-2019-07), and the China Scholarship Council (CSC). These supports are greatly appreciated.
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Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 34 • Issue 6 • June 2022
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© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: May 25, 2021
Accepted: Sep 29, 2021
Published online: Mar 17, 2022
Published in print: Jun 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Aug 17, 2022
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