ABSTRACT
The present study aims at the development of a model for the shear strength prediction of any type of soil reinforced with synthetic fibers of circular cross-section. A database was created from the available literature comprising experimental results of direct shear tests conducted in soils ranging from sands to clays, reinforced with polypropylene and nylon fibers. The shear stress at failure of fiber-reinforced soils was correlated to independent variables pertinent to the soil, fiber, and laboratory test by performing multivariable ordinary linear regression analyses of the experimental results with suitable statistical software. The model with the best performance exhibits a coefficient of multiple determination, R2, equal to 0.96 and estimates successfully the experimental results used for model testing at a rate equal to 77%. The predictions of the shear strength parameters of fiber-reinforced soils, based on the proposed model, are in reasonable agreement with the measured values after applying appropriate reduction factors.
