MONITORING AND MEASURING SYSTEMS FOR ASSESSING LONG-TERM PERFORMANCE OF TIRE DERIVED AGGREGATES (TDA) USED IN RESIDENTIAL HOME BASEMENTS CONSTRUCTION

摘要

This paper includes work conducted to investigate a number of systems that may be used in assessing long-term performance of tire derived aggregates (TDA) when applied as backfill for walls and underneath slabs for basement construction in lieu of natural material. The purpose of the investigation is to select the most cost-effective tools for monitoring, measuring and comparing the performance of TDA vs natural aggregates for on-site demonstration project that will be launched in 2016. The performance main indicators are: heat losses, moisture retention and lateral pressure. For assessing heat losses, three different devices for measuring temperature differences were tested. For moisture retention and drainage ability, a combination of moisture sensors and basic piezometers were also explored. As for the lateral pressure exerted by the material on the basement walls, a simple system using strain gauges was developed to replace the commonly used and expensive pressure cells. Two data acquisition (DAQ) systems; a commercial one and an internally developed system, were also assessed for their abilities and effectiveness to streamline data gathering and analysis for the different types of sensors. The paper includes the recommendations for the selected options as well as description of the on-site installation.