Influence of vegetable fibre (Abacá) in the construction process of cemented bases.

Abstract

In recent years the influence of cemented bases in the construction of pavements in Ecuador has been indispensable in order to improve the mechanical strength of the structure and its physical properties. In this work, an evaluation will be carried out to assess the contribution of Abacá vegetable fibre in those bases to verify if the results are beneficial for the construction of pavements. The research work is directly oriented to the study of the incorporation of a vegetable fibre of abaca to a granular base improved with cement. The length of the vegetable fibre plays an important role in the strength of the compound, which was verified that for a length of 20 and 25 mm a uniform mixture and greater adhesion in the particles of the soil, while an excessive length of the same, causes loss of the mechanical properties of the compound and difficulty in working.

The percentage of fibre attachment to the weight of the material was 0.5% and 1%, for a percentage of 1% a decrease in resistance was found not meeting the minimum resistance required with the technical specifications. The incorporation of cement and fiber contribute to the carrying capacity of the soil but produces a loss of the resistance to bending and compression of the material.