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Plate Load Test on Fiber-Reinforced Soil |
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| Authors: | Nilo C. Consoli Michéle D. T. Casagrande Pedro D. M. Prietto Ant?nio Thomé |
| Affiliation: | 1Associate Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Federal Univ. of Rio Grande do Sul, Ave. Osvaldo Aranha, 99, 3. andar, 90035-190 Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil (corresponding author). 2Research Assistant, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Federal Univ. of Rio Grande do Sul, Ave. Osvaldo Aranha, 99, 3. andar, 90035-190 Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. 3Associate Professor, School of Engineering and Architecture, Catholic Univ. of Pelotas, Rua Félix da Cunha, 412, 96010-000 Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. 4Associate Professor, School of Engineering, Univ. of Passo Fundo Campus I, Bairro S?o José, 99001-970 Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. |
| Abstract: | This technical note discusses the load–settlement response from two steel plate load tests (0.3 m diameter, 25 mm thick) carried out on a thick homogeneous stratum of compacted sandy soil, reinforced with polypropylene fibers, as well as on the same soil without the reinforcement. In addition to the field test program, laboratory triaxial compression tests were performed to determine the static stress–strain response of the compacted sandy soil reinforced with randomly distributed polypropylene fibers. The laboratory test results showed that the reinforcement changed dramatically the stress–strain behavior at very large strains. The strength was found to increase continuously at a constant rate, regardless of the confining pressure applied, not reaching an asymptotic upper limit, even at axial strains as large as 25%. The plate load test on the soil–fiber stratum was performed to relatively high pressures, and gave a noticeable stiffer response than that carried out on the nonreinforced stratum. |
| Keywords: | Fiber reinforced materials Load tests Plates Settlement Soils |