Mechanical properties of alluvium clay treated with cement and carbon fiber: relationships among strength, stiffness, and durability

One of the most effective and economical means to enhance weak clay is to treat it using cement combined with fibres. As such, this study investigates the strength and stiffness performance and durability of Portland-cement-stabilised carbon-fibre-reinforced alluvium clay. The proposed blend was investigated through unconfined compressive strength, elastic modulus, initial shear modulus, and accumulated loss of mass. The results of this study suggest that the addition of cement and carbon fibre improved the strength and durability of the samples. The dosage of 0.4% carbon fibre (by dry mass of clay) proved to be most effective when reinforcing the specimens. The blend with 7% cement (by dry mass of clay) showed more than 50% increase in strength and stiffness and around 50% reduction in the accumulated loss of mass with the inclusion of 0.4% of fibre. Moreover, this study proposes unique power functions that can predict composite parameters on the basis of the novel porosity-binder index. In addition, the study provides an equation that correlates all of the properties with each other, thus enabling estimation of required property through merely one type of test.