Mechanical and microstructural characterization of fiber-reinforced polyurethane-treated clays under freeze-thaw cycles
- Author
- Mehrnaz Ashournia, Maral Pouramin, Payam Zanganeh Ranjbar, Mahdi Salimi, Meghdad Payan (UGent) , Mahya Roustaei Hossein Abadi (UGent) and Bruno Stuyts (UGent)
- Organization
- Abstract
- Expansive clays with high plasticity are vulnerable to deterioration under repeated freeze–thaw (F–T) cycles, posing challenges for infrastructure durability in cold climates. To enhance their resilience, this study explores a sustainable stabilization-reinforcement approach using polyurethane (PU) foam as a chemical binder and waste tire textile fibers (WTTFs) as mechanical reinforcement. Laboratory investigations encompassing unconfined compressive strength (UCS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were performed to examine how different WTTF contents interact with PU stabilization in improving soil resistance to F–T cycles. The results revealed that while repeated F–T cycling led to notable strength degradation in all specimens, the presence of WTTFs significantly mitigated these losses. In particular, PU-treated soils reinforced with an optimal dosage of WTTFs exhibited superior durability, retaining 15% to 40% more strength post–F–T exposure compared to unreinforced or solely PU-stabilized samples. Microstructural observations confirmed these findings, highlighting enhanced interparticle bonding, reduced microcracking, and minimized mass loss and volumetric instability in the composite specimens. These outcomes demonstrate the synergistic potential of PU and WTTFs in enhancing the long-term mechanical performance of expansive clays under harsh environmental conditions. Incorporating recycled fibrous waste into polymer-stabilized soils offers a practical, eco-friendly strategy for improving the service life of earth structures in freeze-prone regions.
- Keywords
- Expansive clay, Freeze-Thaw (F-T) cycles, Polyurethane (PU), Waste Tire Textile Fiber (WTTF), Mechanical behavior
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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication: http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-01KVWX7H08NG3VSZJCMRS5XSRR
- MLA
- Ashournia, Mehrnaz, et al. “Mechanical and Microstructural Characterization of Fiber-Reinforced Polyurethane-Treated Clays under Freeze-Thaw Cycles.” Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, 2026, pp. 3651–56, doi:10.53243/ICSMGE2026-610.
- APA
- Ashournia, M., Pouramin, M., Zanganeh Ranjbar, P., Salimi, M., Payan, M., Roustaei Hossein Abadi, M., & Stuyts, B. (2026). Mechanical and microstructural characterization of fiber-reinforced polyurethane-treated clays under freeze-thaw cycles. Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, 3651–3656. https://doi.org/10.53243/ICSMGE2026-610
- Chicago author-date
- Ashournia, Mehrnaz, Maral Pouramin, Payam Zanganeh Ranjbar, Mahdi Salimi, Meghdad Payan, Mahya Roustaei Hossein Abadi, and Bruno Stuyts. 2026. “Mechanical and Microstructural Characterization of Fiber-Reinforced Polyurethane-Treated Clays under Freeze-Thaw Cycles.” In Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, 3651–56. https://doi.org/10.53243/ICSMGE2026-610.
- Chicago author-date (all authors)
- Ashournia, Mehrnaz, Maral Pouramin, Payam Zanganeh Ranjbar, Mahdi Salimi, Meghdad Payan, Mahya Roustaei Hossein Abadi, and Bruno Stuyts. 2026. “Mechanical and Microstructural Characterization of Fiber-Reinforced Polyurethane-Treated Clays under Freeze-Thaw Cycles.” In Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, 3651–3656. doi:10.53243/ICSMGE2026-610.
- Vancouver
- 1.Ashournia M, Pouramin M, Zanganeh Ranjbar P, Salimi M, Payan M, Roustaei Hossein Abadi M, et al. Mechanical and microstructural characterization of fiber-reinforced polyurethane-treated clays under freeze-thaw cycles. In: Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. 2026. p. 3651–6.
- IEEE
- [1]M. Ashournia et al., “Mechanical and microstructural characterization of fiber-reinforced polyurethane-treated clays under freeze-thaw cycles,” in Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Vienna, Austria, 2026, pp. 3651–3656.
@inproceedings{01KVWX7H08NG3VSZJCMRS5XSRR,
abstract = {{Expansive clays with high plasticity are vulnerable to deterioration under repeated freeze–thaw (F–T) cycles, posing challenges for infrastructure durability in cold climates. To enhance their resilience, this study explores a sustainable stabilization-reinforcement approach using polyurethane (PU) foam as a chemical binder and waste tire textile fibers (WTTFs) as mechanical reinforcement. Laboratory investigations encompassing unconfined compressive strength (UCS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were performed to examine how different WTTF contents interact with PU stabilization in improving soil resistance to F–T cycles. The results revealed that while repeated F–T cycling led to notable strength degradation in all specimens, the presence of WTTFs significantly mitigated these losses. In particular, PU-treated soils reinforced with an optimal dosage of WTTFs exhibited superior durability, retaining 15% to 40% more strength post–F–T exposure compared to unreinforced or solely PU-stabilized samples. Microstructural observations confirmed these findings, highlighting enhanced interparticle bonding, reduced microcracking, and minimized mass loss and volumetric instability in the composite specimens. These outcomes demonstrate the synergistic potential of PU and WTTFs in enhancing the long-term mechanical performance of expansive clays under harsh environmental conditions. Incorporating recycled fibrous waste into polymer-stabilized soils offers a practical, eco-friendly strategy for improving the service life of earth structures in freeze-prone regions.}},
author = {{Ashournia, Mehrnaz and Pouramin, Maral and Zanganeh Ranjbar, Payam and Salimi, Mahdi and Payan, Meghdad and Roustaei Hossein Abadi, Mahya and Stuyts, Bruno}},
booktitle = {{Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering}},
isbn = {{9783950389845}},
keywords = {{Expansive clay,Freeze-Thaw (F-T) cycles,Polyurethane (PU),Waste Tire Textile Fiber (WTTF),Mechanical behavior}},
language = {{eng}},
location = {{Vienna, Austria}},
pages = {{3651--3656}},
title = {{Mechanical and microstructural characterization of fiber-reinforced polyurethane-treated clays under freeze-thaw cycles}},
url = {{http://doi.org/10.53243/ICSMGE2026-610}},
year = {{2026}},
}
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