Behavior of Strip Footings Resting on Sand Reinforced with Tire-Chips

摘要

Utilizing waste materials as an alternative to using virgin construction materials,rnmade from nonrenewable resources, in civil engineering applications is currently onernof the most important environmental issues. The unique properties of tire chips suchrnas strength, high frictional resistance and flexibility can be exploited in a beneficialrnmanner in geotechnical applications. This research aims to investigate the benefits ofrnusing tire chips as lightweight inclusion to improve the bearing capacity and controlrnthe settlement of sandy soil. Forty loading laboratory tests were carried out on arnstrip-footing model of 50 mm width supported by sand-tire chips mixture. The studyrnwas carried out on sand with relative densities of 50%, 75%, and 90%. The thicknessrnof sand layer containing the inclusions underneath the footing was taken equal to 1,rn2, 3, and 5 times the strip footing width. The mixture overlies pure sand layer. Thernmixture was formed at the same relative density as the underlying sand. Thernpercentage of tire chips to sand was taken as 5%, 10%, and 15% by weight. Thernstudy revealed that at the same loading level the settlement of strip footing on sandtirernchips mixture was about 30% less than in the case of pure sand. The initialrnmodulus of elasticity increased to a value varied from 2 to 9 times its value in therncase of pure sand at the same relative density. Most importantly, the ultimate bearingrncapacity of sandy soil noticeably increased up to 7 times its value in the case of purernsand. The conclusions of this paper support the use of tire-chips as anrnenvironmentally acceptable lightweight inclusion in soil improvement applications.