Behavior of Strip Footings Resting on Sand Reinforced with Tire-Chips: Fid-Bau Portal

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

Abdrabbo, F. M. / Abouseeda, H. M. / Gaaver, K. E. / El-Marassi, M. A.

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