Experimental investigation of the behavior of cemented-clay specimen reinforced with geotextile layers

This paper experimentally examines the effect of geotextile layers on the undrained behavior of cement-stabilized clay specimens using unconfined compressive strength (UCS) tests. Accordingly, the low-plasticity clay specimens were remolded in three different moisture contents, including optimum moisture content and two other ones corresponding to 90% relative compaction. The clay specimens were also stabilized by cement with various percentages equal to 3, 5, and 7% of the dry weight of the soil. The stabilized clay specimens were then cured in 7, 14, and 21 days prior to performing the unconfined compressive tests. In order to investigate the effect of reinforcement type, the stabilized clay specimens were reinforced with two types of non-woven geotextiles with different values of tensile stiffness. Results of experiments showed that reinforcing cemented-clay specimens with geotextile sheets improves the mechanical properties such as maximum compressive strength, residual strength, and rupture strain of reinforced specimens compared to unreinforced ones. The greatest increase in compressive strength occurred in specimens reinforced with three geotextile layers, which had an average 37% increase in strength compared to non-reinforced specimens. The comparison between reinforced specimens with two different geotextiles showed that increasing the tensile strength of the geotextile increases the compressive strength, rupture strain, and residual stress of the reinforced specimens.