Some observations on the mechanics of fibre reinforced sand

This paper discusses - through experimental and numerical results - different aspects of the behaviour of sand reinforced with discrete, flexible fibres particularly under isotropic compression and triaxial/biaxial loading conditions. The behaviour in small, medium and large strain domains with reference to the stress - strain and volumetric responses is considered for different test conditions. The effect of the local micro fabric and local structural re-arrangement on the interaction mechanism between the fibres and granular particles is particularly emphasised as well as the influence of the fibre orientation induced by the fabrication process on the general behaviour of the composite material.