Experimental investigation on the combined use of locust bean gum and polyester fibers for sustainable stabilization of high plasticity clay

In recent years environmentally friendly biopolymers have attracted considerable attention for soil stabilization and fiber reinforcement has also been extensively studied for soil improvement. However, investigations of the combine effect of biopolymers and fibers on soil stabilization are limited and remain a current research topic. In this study, a high plasticity clay (CH) soil was stabilized with varying percentages of locust bean gum (0.5 %, 1 %, and 1.5 %) and 5 mm long cut polyester fibers (0.15 %, 0.30 %, and 0.60 %) to produce modified clay specimens. The geotechnical properties of the prepared specimens, including consistency limits, shear strength parameters, hydraulic conductivity and unconfined compressive strength (both before and after 10 freeze-thaw cycles), were systematically investigated. The performance of the biopolymer and fiber-modified clays was then compared with that of the natural clay and the samples containing only biopolymer or only fibers. The findings indicate that the combined use of locust bean gum and polyester fibers significantly enhances the mechanical and hydraulic behavior of high plasticity clay, highlighting their potential for sustainable soil stabilization applications. Furthermore, SEM analysis confirmed the improvements in mechanical and hydraulic performance, demonstrating that the combined incorporation of biopolymer and fiber lead to the formation of a denser and more structurally stable microstructure.

Journal

PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY OF THE EARTH

Year

2026

Volume

143

ISSN

1474-7065

eISSN

1873-5193

DOI

10.1016/j.pce.2026.104306

WoS UID

WOS:001677427500001