Investigation of mechanical factor of soil reinforced with four types of fibers: An integrated experimental and extreme learning machine approach

This study investigates and compares mechanical factor (a dimensionless parameter and defined as the ratio of the compressive strength of fiber reinforced soil to that of unreinforced soil) for soils reinforced with four different fibers (three natural fibers and one synthetic fiber). An integrated methodology was utilized, including 351 laboratory experiments for obtaining data and Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) technique for developing functional relationships between mechanical factor and soil and fiber parameters. Soils reinforced with synthetic fiber (Polypropylene) and with natural fibers exhibited different characteristics when subjected to the same variation in soil parameters. This phenomenon can be attributed to the differences in surface morphology and water absorption capability of Polypropylene comparative to other natural fibers. Polypropylene–soil composite shows the maximum sensitivity to the soil moisture. It also shows the least sensitivity toward soil density and fiber content among all tested fiber–soil composites.