Mechanical Characterization of Shredded Fibrous Paper Cardboard Mixed in Clayey Soils

Abstract

The utilization of industrial post-consumer waste products has been increasing over the previous century. The representation fraction of cardboard is huge in the generated municipal solid waste. Replacing uses for recycling can offer significant potential advantages by minimizing the amount of waste transported to disposal sites and decreasing the consumption of raw materials. Due to the increasing environmental sustainability concerns, waste materials are receiving much attention in the construction sector. The study focused on analyzing the mechanical properties of mixed clays and shredded fibrous paper cardboard to explore the potential impacts of the cardboard on the soil's engineering properties. The fundamental objective of this investigation was to assess how varying quantities of cardboard content influence the stiffness and strength of the soil specimens. Samples of clay were mixed with six different proportions (varying from 0% to 20% by dry weight) of shredded fibrous cardboard. Various experiments were executed to predict the mechanical characteristics of the combinations of clay and cardboard. These tests encompassed particle size assessment, consistency evaluation, standard Proctor testing, unconfined compression testing, and direct shear testing. The outcomes manifested that the incorporation of shredded cardboard into clays had a noticeable impact on their engineering properties. With increasing cardboard content, the MDD and OMC of the soil were reduced and enhanced, respectively. The unconfined compression strength of the mixes initially improved with the incorporation of 10% shredded fibrous paper cardboard, beyond which it started to decrease. The engineering xi parameters of the mixtures were influenced by the fibrous fraction. Moreover, shear strength tests highlight the complex interaction between the fibrous particles and clay matrix, affecting the overall strength of the mix. The values of cohesive strength decrease with increasing the content of SFPC. In contrast, the frictional strength improves up to a specific limit and then reduces with increasing the SFPC content. These findings enhanced comprehension regarding the geotechnical performance of these combinations and offered valuable perspectives on the incorporation of shredded cardboard into soil mixtures. The research findings of this study give important information about whether it is feasible to use SFPC as a sustainable soil replacement in different geotechnical engineering applications.