Prediction of ultimate compressive strength for biopolymer-bound soil composites (BSC) using sliding wingtip crack analysis

Abstract

Abstract This paper introduces a damage-based model for determining the compressive strength of Biopolymer-bound Soil Composites (BSC), a novel class of bio-based construction composites that are produced through the mixture and desiccation of biopolymers with inorganic aggregates. A damage-based sliding wingtip crack model is used, in conjunction with experimental results from mechanical testing and X-ray micro-computed tomography image analysis, to predict the response of BSC materials under uniaxial compression. The model explores a range of mixture designs with varying biopolymer solution content. This methodology extends existing mixture design theory for BSC materials based on maximum bulk density of the soil phase.