Abstract The motivation of this study stems from a retaining wall made of waste tires. The wall did not suffer any earthquake or tsunami-induced damage during the 2011 Off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku Earthquake, Japan. This paper deals with a case study on this tire retaining wall. Results from a series of field and laboratory investigations are first described. A numerical simulation is also described in which whole tires were used as protective layers in an embankment. The results show that confining effect of each tire, friction between the tires, ductility, and damping inherent in tires contribute towards the excellent performance of the retaining wall during the earthquake loading. The case study also reveals that it is the isolation mechanism due to the vibration absorption capability of rubber particles in tires, which could protect tire retaining structure during the earthquake.
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