Mechanical Properties and Energy Dissipation of Fiber-Modified Iron Tailings under Triaxial Stress

The secondary utilization of iron tailings solid waste meets the green development requirements of road construction in the new era. Currently, there is a lack of research on the equivalent confining pressure effect of fiber, the influence of complex stress paths on the mechanical properties of modified soil, and the internal damage in soil based on energy dissipation theory. The effects of different polypropylene fiber content, confining pressure, curing age, and complex stress path on the mechanical properties of fiber cement–modified iron tailings (FCIT) were investigated by triaxial tests and energy angle. Combined with the actual subgrade engineering, the stress path test is set up, and the strength index of the FCIT under different working conditions is obtained. From the thermodynamic point of view, the failure process for the FCIT is further revealed. The results show that: (1) the optimal fiber content of FCITs is 0.75%. At this time, the mechanical properties of FCIT are optimal, the strength is high, and shear failure is not easy. The fiber has the equivalent confining pressure effect, which could provide better shear performance for FCITs so that the FCIT is resistant to collapse in embankment construction; (2) the influence of multislope stress path on the secant modulus of the FCIT is worse than that of a single-slope stress path. The influence of curing age on the secant modulus of these two kinds of stress path is consistent, and the secant modulus of the FCIT at 28-day curing is 1.2 times that at 7-day curing; (3) after 7 and 28-day curing, the dissipation energy of the FCIT was consistent when the fiber content was 1%. Due to the equivalent confining pressure of the fiber, the fiber dissipation energy of the FCIT is not affected by the curing age. The total dissipated energy of the FCIT with a stress path slope of 1.5 is 5–6 times that with a stress path slope of 2.5. The total dissipated energy of the single-slope and multislope stress paths decreases with the increase in curing age.