Shear Strength Parameters of Soil Reinforced with Ceramic Fibers Coated with Nano-Silica and Kaolin

In this paper, the effect of various parameters on the shear strength parameters of soil reinforced with ceramic fibers coated with nano-silica and kaolin particles has been investigated using the results of direct shear tests. The effect of the ceramic fiber content, fiber length, the nano-silica and kaolin contents and the content of fibers coated with nano-silica and kaolin on the shear strength parameters of reinforced silty sand has been investigated. The microscopic structure of the samples and the interaction of nano-silica, kaolin and fibers have also been examined with Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The results show that the shear strength parameters of the samples increase by adding ceramic fiber, nano-silica or kaolin particles to the natural soil. The length of ceramic fibers does not have a significant effect on the shear strength parameters of fiber-reinforced specimens, and 0.5% fiber content was recognized as the optimal fiber content. The samples containing kaolin particles have a higher shear strength than those containing nano-silica particles for a constant content of additive. The coating of fibers with kaolin has a greater effect on increasing the shear strength parameters of the samples.