Response Surface Method Analysis of Chemically Stabilized Fiber-Reinforced Soil

Area of Science:

• Geotechnical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Civil Engineering

Background:

• Establishing optimal stabilizer proportions is crucial for effective soil stabilization.
• Dose rate determination for stabilizing agents is a significant concern in civil engineering.
• Response surface methodology aids in optimizing complex geotechnical parameters.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the optimal levels of fiber length (FL), fiber dosage (FD), and curing time (CT) for stabilized soil geotechnical parameters.
• To experimentally determine the influence of FL, FD, and CT on California bearing ratio (CBR), unconfined compressive strength (UCS), and hydraulic conductivity (HC).
• To utilize central composite design and analysis of variance for statistically significant model construction.

Main Methods:

• Experimental study involving soil stabilization with varying fiber length (6-12 mm) and fiber dosage (0.2-0.6%).
• Testing of California bearing ratio (CBR), unconfined compressive strength (UCS), and hydraulic conductivity (HC) at different curing times (0-360 days).
• Application of response surface methodology and central composite design to analyze experimental data and identify optimal parameters.

Main Results:

• Optimal values for maximum CBR were determined as 11.1 mm FL, 0.5% FD, and 13.2 days CT.
• Optimal values for maximum UCS were determined as 11.7 mm FL, 0.3% FD, and 160 days CT.
• Optimal values for minimum HC were determined as 10.5 mm FL, 0.5% FD, and 15 days CT.
• Statistically significant models (p ≤ 0.05) were constructed using analysis of variance.

Conclusions:

• The study successfully identified optimal parameters for fiber length, dosage, and curing time to enhance key geotechnical properties of stabilized soil.
• The findings provide practical, data-driven recommendations for preliminary assessments and experimental design in soil stabilization projects.
• The optimized values offer a pathway to improve soil performance for various civil engineering applications.