Publisher's Synopsis
Tire shred-soil mixture backfill for use in mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls has several advantages over traditional backfill materials: 1) good drainage, 2) high shear strength, 3) low compacted unit weight and 4) low lateral pressure exerted on retaining structures. This work presents the results of laboratory tests performed on tire shred-sand mixtures focusing on determining the properties required for their use as backfill in MSE wall applications. Three sizes of tire shreds are considered: tire chips with 9.5mm in nominal size, and tire shreds with 50-to-100-mm and 100-to-200-mm in length. The optimal mix proportions of tire shred-sand mixtures for enhanced mechanical response of the composite material are provided. Segregation of the materials in the tire shred-sand mixtures was investigated for various mix proportions. The effects of tire shred size, and tire shred-sand mixing ratio on the interaction between geogrids/ ribbed-metal strips and the mixtures are evaluated based on a series of laboratory pullout tests.
