Abstract
The construction and maintenance costs of pavement are important aspects for road construction. The current research provides a newly technique for the use of jute fibre sheet as an interface layer between the subgrade soil and subbase layer which is limit in previous studies. The work involved comparison different locations for jute fibre sheet with the tradition approach of soil stabilization which imbedded the jute fibre sheet inside the subgrade soil. California Bearing Ratio (CBR) test was conducted on samples with jute fibre sheet, jute fibre sheet coated with bitumen and fibre only. Finite Element Models (FEM) using ABAQUS programme was implemented to show the effect of the new improvement on the vertical compressive strain at the top of subgrade and consequently rutting resistance. The experimental results showed a superior performance for the specimens containing bitumen coated jute fibre sheet placed at the interface between subbase and soil compared with unreinforced specimens (190 % penetration resistance). The bitumen coated jute fibre sheet also showed a significant increase in CBR value compared with traditional improvement of mixing or placing jute fibre within the subgrade soil, and provided higher CBR value (125%) compared with uncoated jute fibre sheet at the same location. The FEM results showed a significant reduction in compressive strain at the top of subgrade and consequently, cause a potential increase in rutting resistance. The research suggested that the use of jute fibre sheet at the interface between subbase and soil layers is efficient and that will lowering the construction cost of highways.
