Effects of Polypropylene in Different Forms on the Static and Dynamic Properties of Cohesive Soils

Abstract

Soil improvement methods hold a significant place in civil engineering, and numerous soil improvement techniques exist. In soil improvement studies, the use of polypropylene fibers in the soil is quite common, because it increases soils compressive and tensile strength and deformation capacity, and allows for better performance under dynamic loads. Furthermore, polypropylene fibers, being resistant to chemical and biological effects, ensure the longevity of the improvement. In this study, the changes in the static and dynamic properties of a cohesive soil were investigated by adding two different lengths (6 and 12 mm) of polypropylene fibers and granular polypropylene in different ratios (0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, 0.8%). Bender element tests were performed on the prepared mixture samples, and the change in the highest shear modulus was determined. Unconfined compression tests were also conducted to determine the undrained shear strength of the samples. According to the results obtained, it was observed that increasing the polypropylene content in the soil increased the shear strength, shear wave velocity, and highest shear modulus of the samples. Furthermore, the highest increase in unconfined compressive strength was observed when using 12 mm long polypropylene fibers, while the lowest increase was observed when using 6 mm long polypropylene fibers.

Keywords

• soil improvement
• polypropylene fiber
• bender element
• shear strength

Project Number

23LÖP233

Farklı Formlardaki Polipropilenin Kohezyonlu Zeminin Statik ve Dinamik Özellikleri Üzerine Etkileri

Abstract

Zemin iyileştirme yöntemleri inşaat mühendisliğinde önemli yere sahip olmakla birlikte birçok zemin iyileştirme tekniği bulunmaktadır. Zemin iyileştirme çalışmalarında, basınç ve çekme mukavemeti ile deforme olma kapasitesini artırması, dinamik yükler altında daha iyi performans göstermesini sağlaması nedeniyle zemin içerisinde polipropilen lif kullanımı oldukça yaygındır. Aynı zamanda kimyasal ve biyolojik etkilere karşı dayanıklı olan polipropilen lifler, yapılan iyileştirmenin uzun ömürlü olmasını da sağlamaktadır. Bu çalışmada, kohezyonlu bir zemine iki farklı (6 ve 12 mm) uzunlukta polipropilen lif ve granül polipropilen farklı oranlarda (%0.2, %0.4, %0.6, %0.8) ilave edilerek, zeminin statik ve dinamik özelliklerinde meydana getirdiği değişimler araştırılmıştır. Hazırlanan karışım numuneleri üzerinde bender element deneyi yapılmış ve en yüksek kayma modülündeki değişim belirlenmiştir. Numunelerin drenajsız kayma mukavemeti için ise serbest basınç deneyleri gerçekleştirilmiştir. Elde edilen sonuçlara göre, zemin içerisindeki polipropilen içeriğinin artmasıyla numunelerin kayma dayanımının, kayma dalgası hızının ve en yüksek kayma modülünün arttığı gözlemlenmiştir. Ayrıca, serbest basınç dayanımında en yüksek artış 12 mm uzunluğundaki polipropilen lif kullanıldığı zaman gözlemlenirken, en az artış ise 6 mm uzunluğundaki polipropilen kullanılması durumunda gözlenmiştir. 

Keywords

• zemin iyileştirme
• polipropilen lif
• bender element
• kayma mukavemeti

Supporting Institution

Eskişehir Teknik Üniversitesi

Project Number

23LÖP233

Thanks

Bu çalışma Eskişehir Teknik Üniversitesi BAP birimi tarafından 23LÖP233 proje numarası ile desteklenmiştir. Yazarlar ayrıca bu çalışmada kullanılan granül polipropileni sağlayan Petkim’e, lif polipropileni sağlayan Macrolif’e teşekkür eder.

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