Effect of Short Polymeric Fibers on Crack Development in Clays

Earth structures constructed of clayey soils, which have a tendency to shrink and swell, develop desiccation cracks when subjected to periods of drying and wetting. Over time, the seasonal shrinking and swelling may result in sloughing and shallow slides. One possible solution to this problem is the inclusion of randomly distributed short fibers in the clay. The purpose of the research presented herein was to assess the feasibility of using commercially available short fibers to reduce the development of desiccation cracks in clay. The test results showed that the fibers were effective in reducing the amount of desiccation cracking that occurred in clays subjected to drying. However, when subjected to wet/dry cycles attempting to simulate environmental conditions, the effectiveness of the fibers was not as evident. The inclusion of fibers increased the tensile strength of the clay and provided a ductile behavior that was not present in the samples without fibers.