An Experimental Studies on Use of Jute Bags Mixed With Bitumen for Soil Reinforcement- An Alternative to Geotextiles

Abstract

Soil is an important form of construction material which is used for all types of constructions. Its mechanical properties, has been challenging civil engineers to improve its properties depending upon the requirement. During last 25 years, a quantitativeinvestigation has been done on strength deformation behavior of soil reinforced with fiber and it has proved that the overall engineering properties of soil are enhanced when it is reinforced or stabilized using fibers. Use of natural fibers like cement bags, jute bags which contains polypropylene material can be significantly used to reinforce and stabilize the soil which is advantageous because of their cheap& local availability, biodegradable and eco-friendly nature. Jute bags can be used in soil in place of geosynthetics, for many purposes like separation, filtration and erosion control. Due to the poor tensile strength of jute bags they cannot be used for reinforcement of soil. Addition of bitumen to the jute bags increases the tensile strength of the jute bag and can be used for the reinforcement of soil.  In this study, a comparison between engineering properties of soil provided with reinforcement (jute bag mixed with bitumen) and without reinforcement is made by conducting various performance tests.