Stabilization and Durability Analysis of Medium Compressibility Clay Using Rubber Fibers

The in situ soil should bear the load, but at certain instances more adverse conditions may lead to failure of soil and hence can lead to consequence failure of the structures. To avoid these failures, understanding of soil behavior to different loading conditions is essential, thereby arising the need for studying and finding appropriate alternatives. One such alternative is soil stabilization. Tons of rubber waste are produced annually, not only problematic for disposal, but also increase environmental pollution and health risks. The consumption of rubber as an alternative to construction materials can effectively minimize environmental pollution. In this study, rubber fibers in different proportions were added to investigate the effect of rubber fibers on compaction, UCS, CBR, and durability properties of intermediate compressible clay. The tests were conducted on samples with inclusion of rubber fibers in different proportions of 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, and 2.5%. A comparison was made between light and heavy compaction test. Samples showed decrement in OMC and MDD. Inclusion of rubber fibers with proportion of 1.5% to intermediate compressible clay showed maximum increment in UCS and CBR values, and durability was improved due to decrement in weight loss of the specimens in subsequent freeze–thaw cycles.