Mechanical Performance of Jute Fiber-Reinforced Micaceous Clay Composites Treated with Ground-Granulated Blast-Furnace Slag

Abstract

The combined capacity of Jute Fibers (JF), the reinforcement, and Ground-Granulated Blast-Furnace Slag (GBFS), the binder, was examined as a sustainable solution towards ameliorating the inferior engineering properties of micaceous clays. A total of sixteen JF + GBFS mix designs, i.e., JF (% by total mass) = {0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5} and GBFS (% by total mass) = {0, 3, 6, 9}, were tested for unconfined compression (UC) strength; for those mix designs containing GBFS, curing was allowed for 7 and 28 days prior to testing. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies were also carried out to observe the evolution of fabric in response to JF, GBFS and JF + GBFS amendments. The greater the JF content the..