An Experimental Study on the Effect of Disposable COVID-19 Face Masks on the Mechanical Properties of Clay

This study rigorously examined the enhancement of the mechanical properties of clay through the application of disposable face mask fibers (DFMF). By subjecting the reinforced specimens to a comprehensive series of unconfined strength tests, it was found that adding DFMF to the base soil decreased the maximum dry unit weight (MDUW) and increased the optimum moisture content (OMC). The study examined the effects of DFMF content on the compounds, revealing that a maximum increase of 0.2 in DFMF content improves their unconfined compressive strength (UCS); Therefore, 0.2% mask DFMF content was noticed to be the optimum DFMF content, which constituted maximum strength.