Mechanical response of tire shred-sand mixtures and applications to geotechnical structures

Sungmin Yoon, Purdue University

Abstract

Use of tire shreds in construction projects, such as highway embankments and retaining walls, is becoming an acceptable way of beneficially recycling scrap tires. However, in the last decade, there was a decline in the use of pure tire shreds as fill materials in embankment construction, as they are susceptible to fire hazards due to the occurrence of exothermic reactions. Tire shred-sand mixtures, on the other hand, were found to be effective in inhibiting exothermic reactions. When compared with pure tire shreds, tire shred-sand mixtures are less compressible and have higher shear strength. However, the literature contains limited information on the use of tire shred-soil mixtures as a fill material. The main goal of this research is to evaluate the feasibility of using tire shred-sand mixtures as fill or backfill material in geotechnical structures. In this thesis work, a new method was developed to determine the optimum tire shred-sand mixing ratio based on laboratory compaction tests. A field demonstration embankment was constructed in Lakeville, IN. The fill material consisted of a mixture of tire shreds and a sandy soil. The embankment was monitored (settlement plates, horizontal and vertical inclinometer, temperature monitoring and groundwater analysis) for a period of one year. The details of the construction of the embankment and the results of the monitoring program are presented in the thesis. To evaluate the pull-out behavior of geogrid reinforcement used within tire shred-sand mixtures, a series of large scale pull-out tests was conducted on tire shred-sand mixtures prepared with various sizes of tire shreds and different mixing ratios. The effects of tire shred size, mixing ratio and confining stress on the geogrid pull-out capacity were evaluated.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Salgado, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Civil engineering|Geotechnology

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