Insights on the role of fibres in the laboratory testing of peat
Insights on the role of fibres in the laboratory testing of peat
Peat is an organic material characterised by a high compressibility and a significant capacity to mobilise shear resistance at large strains. This resistance has traditionally been attributed to the presence of fibres embedded within the organic matrix, which act as kinematic restraints. The compliant nature of peat, together with the evolution fibre orientation during deformation, makes a finite strain analysis essential for understanding its mechanical behaviour. This contribution employs a numerical framework grounded on finite strain kinematics to investigate how fibre reinforcement conditions the response observed in conventional laboratory tests. The results highlight the key role played by the interaction of fabric anisotropy and the loading direction during shearing. The model suggests an intrinsic link between the magnitude of fibre reinforcement and the strain history of the material and shows that fibres play a relevant role in all shearing paths. The findings contribute to a more robust interpretation of peat behaviour at the laboratory scale.
Luis J. Parra-Gomez; C. Jommi; S. Muraro
International Conference on Advances and Innovations in Soft Soil Engineering (ICAISSE2026)
Constitutive, Numerical, and Machine Learning Modelling
https://doi.org/10.53243/ICAISSE2026-172