Performance Monitoring of Embankments Containing Tire Chips: Case Study
Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 21, Issue 3
Abstract
Tire chips (or shredded tires) have been successfully used as a filler material in a number of embankments, but this use has also led to problems such as spontaneous combustion, settlement, and so on. To ensure proper construction and to avoid such problems, the Texas Department of Transportation sponsored a study to monitor the performance of embankments constructed of tire shred fill material in El Paso, Texas. Three embankments, consisting of (1) a mixture of soil and shredded tires; (2) shredded tires wrapped in a geotextile; and (3) a reference embankment built with conventional soil, were instrumented and monitored. The performance of the embankments in terms of vertical settlement, temperature change, and air and water constituency changes were monitored. The performance of these three embankments has shown that there is little potential for environmental impacts in a climate like that of El Paso, and that the construction techniques employed limited the settlements in comparison with some previous experiences.
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Acknowledgments
The writers would like to give their sincere appreciation to Tomas Saenz and Gus Sanchez of the TxDOT El Paso District for their ever-present support. We would also like to thank David Head and Mark McLelland, the past and present project coordinators, respectively, for their constructive advice. The collaboration with the staff of J.D. Abrams, especially Mike Brown, Francisco Montes, and Edgar Carrasco, has been instrumental to the progress of this project.
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© 2007 ASCE.
History
Received: Dec 9, 2003
Accepted: Jan 11, 2005
Published online: Jun 1, 2007
Published in print: Jun 2007
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