Mechanical Property Enhancement of Cemented Soil Using Agricultural By-Product

Soil excavated from construction sites is currently one of the environmental issues. This type of soil, characterized by its weak properties and low strength, is typically disposed of as solid waste. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the characteristics of excavated soil to enable its reuse. In this study, the fiber-cement-stabilized soil method is employed to recycle the excavated soil, and corn husk fiber is used as a fiber material. Unconfined compression and shear box tests are conducted to investigate the influence of corn husk fiber on the behavior of cemented soil. The experiments utilize corn husk fiber with lengths of 30 and 10 mm, and additive amounts of 0, 4, 8, and 16 kg/m3, along with cement quantities of 16 and 32 kg/m3. The results indicate that corn husk significantly enhances the characteristics of cemented soil. The highest compressive strength increases are 24.2 and 30.4% when adding 10 and 30-mm fiber, respectively. In terms of the shear box test, residual stress is improved with an increase in the quantity and length of corn husk. Additionally, adding corn husk to cemented soil contributes to the improvement of shear strength and cohesion.