Evaluating the Properties of Mixtures of Steel Furnace Slag, Coal Wash, and Rubber Crumbs Used as Subballast
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 30, Issue 1
Abstract
Steel furnace slag (SFS) and coal wash (CW) are two common by-products from the coal-mining and steel industries in Australia. Rubber crumbs (RC) is a material derived from waste tires contributing to environmental problems in most developed countries. Reusing and recycling these waste materials is not only economically beneficial and environmentally sustainable, but it also helps to address geotechnical problems such as track degradation. In this study, SFS, CW, and RC are blended to explore the feasibility of obtaining an energy-absorbing capping layer with properties similar or superior to conventional subballast. Comprehensive laboratory investigations have been carried out to study the geotechnical properties of mixtures, from which seven parameters (including gradation, permeability, peak friction angle, breakage index, swell pressure, strain energy density, and axial strain under cyclic loading) were used to evaluate the properties of these mixtures used as subballast. It was found that a mixture with and 10% RC (63% SFS, 27% CW, and 10% RC) is the best mixture for subballast.
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Acknowledgments
The first author would like to acknowledge the financial assistance provided by the China Scholarship Council. The assistance provided by ASMS and South 32 in the procurement of material used in this study is gratefully acknowledged. The authors appreciate the assistance of Mr. Richard Berndt in the laboratory and the occasional technical feedback from Assoc. Prof. Cholachat Rujikiatkamjorn and Dr. Vinod S. Jayan.
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 30 • Issue 1 • January 2018
Copyright
©2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 1, 2017
Accepted: Jun 12, 2017
Published online: Oct 25, 2017
Published in print: Jan 1, 2018
Discussion open until: Mar 25, 2018
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