Desiccation Cracking Behavior of Geofiber-Reinforced Expansive Clay

The objective of the present study is to evaluate the effect of geofibers in restraining desiccation cracking of expansive clay, through controlled laboratory tests. In the study, the soil was reinforced with polyester fibers of lengths 15 mm, 30 mm, and 50 mm, at fiber contents of 0.25%, 0.5%, and 0.75%, by dry weight. Saturated soil specimens were allowed to dry at a constant temperature and relative humidity. The loss of moisture, crack initiation, crack propagation, crack morphology, and surficial crack measurements were studied. Digital image analysis was employed to measure the surficial cracks. The results indicate that the desiccation cracking of soil is significantly restrained by geofiber reinforcement due to the bridging effect. The crack area increased with an increase in the length of the fibers. The surficial crack formation of the soil is reduced by 66% when reinforced with 15 mm fibers at a fiber content of 0.5%.