COHESIONLESS SOIL AND SMALL DISCONTINUOUS REINFORCING ELEMENTS IN COMPOSITE ENGINEERING MATERIALS

IDENTIFICATION OF OPPORTUNITY: THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PRACTICABLE COMPOSITE GEOTECHNICAL MATERIAL CONSISTING OF SMALL DISCONTINUOUS REINFORCING ELEMENTS IN A COHESIONLESS SOIL MATRIX WOULD HAVE SEVERAL IMPORTANT APPLICATIONS, INCLUDING: BACKFILL FOR RETAINING SYSTEMS; BASE, SUBBASE, AND SUBGRADE MATERIALS FOR PAVEMENTS; ENGINEERED FILLS; BACKFILL AROUND UTILITIES; BEARING MATERIALS FOR FOUNDATIONS IN MARGINAL SOIL AREAS. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES: TO PROVE THE TECHNICAL AND PRACTICAL FEASIBILITY OF REINFORCING SOIL WITH SMALL DISCONTINUOUS INCLUSIONS. DESCRIPTION OF THE RESEARCH: -EXTENSIVE LABORATORY PROGRAM EMPHASIZING SIMULATION OF FIELD CONDITIONS AND METHODS IN THE LABORATORY AS CLOSELY AS POSSIBLE. -MIX, PLACE, AND COMPACT TWO VERY DIFFERENT TYPES OF SMALL DISCONTINUOUS REINFORCING INCLUSIONS IN THE FIELD USING STANDARD CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT. -EVALUATE IMPROVEMENTS IN SOIL ENGINEERING CHARACTERISTICS OF TWO DIFFERENT REINFORCED SOIL MATERIALS BY STUDYING MOISTURE-DENSITY RELATIONSHIPS, STRENGTH AND STRESS-STRAIN CHARACTERISTICS, SETTLEMENT CHARACTERISTICS, RESISTANCE TO COMPACTION, MIXING ABILITY, PERMEABILITY, SHEAR STRENGTH, CBR STRENGTH, RANDOM PLACEMENT VERSES LAYERED PLACEMENT. ANTICIPATED RESULTS: THIS PHASE I RESEARCH SHOULD PROVE THE TECHNICAL AND PRACTICAL FEASIBILITY OF REINFORCING SOIL WITH SMALL DISCONTINUOUS INCLUSIONS. POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS: COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION OF OPTIMUM INCLUSION ELEMENTS AND PRACTICAL USE OF DISCONTINUOUS REINFORCING TECHNOLOGY IS ANTICIPATED TO OCCUR FOLLOWING PHASE III DEVELOPMENT.