Geomechanical characterization of using basalt fiber-treated clay soils for improving ground resilience against freeze-thaw actions

The degradation of soil under freeze-thaw cycles will pose a major threat to newly constructed infrastructure in cold regions. The soil ground forms an essential part of the built environment, thus actions should be taken to improve the ground’s resilience. We are collaborating with our industry partner SFTec Inc. to propose a sustainable value-added strategy that reinforces the soft clay soils using a basalt fiber-stabilized approach. The addition of basalt fiber is a clean technology to improve the ground’s resilience against freeze-thaw actions since the fiber is produced from natural basalt rock. Laboratory tests will be conducted to measure the strengths of fiber-stabilized clay soils under freeze-thaw cycles. Numerical homogenization will be conducted for determining the optimized mixing scheme. The successful completion of this project will directly provide guidance on the optimum fiber/clay ratio determination for potential projects at cold regions. SFTec’s R&D product will benefit from the collaboration since it will create a strategic direction.

Faculty Supervisor:

Biao Li

Student:

Partner:

SFTec Inc

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Construction and infrastructure; Manufacturing

University:

Concordia University

Program: