Improvement of mechanical behavior of cemented soil reinforced with waste cornsilk fibers

•The addition of cornsilk fibers in cemented soil increases compressive and splitting tensile strength.•A strong linear relationship between compressive strength and splitting tensile strength is given.•Models for estimating the compressive and splitting tensile strength are proposed.•Cement content is the most effective parameter on compressive and tensile strength followed by curing time and fiber content. This study focused on exploring the effects of cornsilk fibers on mechanical properties of cemented soil by conducting compaction, compression, and splitting tension tests. The influences of fiber content (0%, 0.25%, 0.5%, and 1% by weight of dry soil), cement content (4%, 8%, and 12% by weight of dry soil), and curing time (7, 14, and 28 days) were investigated in the present work. The multiple nonlinear regression models following the parameters including curing time, fiber content, and cement content for predicting compressive strength as well as tensile strength were established. The effective degree of each parameter on compressive and tensile strength was also evaluated. The experimental results revealed that the addition of cornsilk fibers in cemented soil improved the compressive and splitting tensile strength. The fiber contents of 0.25%–0.5% are recommended to use in cemented soil reinforced by cornsilk fibers. Splitting tensile strength equals to 0.148 times of compressive strength for both cemented soil and fiber-cement stabilized soil. The compressive and tensile strength could be predicted following the regression models with high accuracy. Based on the proposed model and sensitivity analysis, the cement content is the most effective parameter affecting on compressive strength and splitting tensile strength followed by curing time and fiber content.