Soil Stabilization Using Banana Fibre and Disposable Face Masks

Abstract

Soil has been used as a construction material from time immortal. Being poor in mechanical properties, it has become challenges to civil engineers to improve its properties depending upon the requirement which varies from site to site. Soil stabilization is a technique to refine and improve the engineering properties of soils such as mechanical strength, permeability, compressibility, durability and plasticity. In this paper focus is made on the improvement of engineering properties of soil by using banana fiber in addition of disposable face masks. Banana fiber is treated with surgical face masks to enhance the engineering properties in case of pavement and earthen slopes. The aim of the present investigation is to determine the banana fibre-mask combination in the process of soil stabilization. In this project mechanical extraction method is used. Different tests performed in this study are Specific Gravity, Liquid limit, Plastic limit, Shrinkage Limit, Standard Proctor Compaction Test, direct Shear Test and Unconfined Compression Test. The optimum value of banana fibre is taken as 10% and the various percentages of masks is added with fibre such as 0.5%, 1% and 1.5% and their tests results were compared and discussed.