Field Evaluation of Load-Bearing Capacity of Tire Fill Embankment Pavements

Abstract

Abstract Tire-derived aggregates (TDAs) are produced by shredding scrap tires. These materials have desirable engineering properties and can be appropriately used in pavement embankment fills. Several pavements have been constructed using TDA fill embankment; however, the seasonal performance of the pavements composed of these materials has not been widely investigated. This study investigates seasonal changes in load-bearing capacity of tire-filled embankment pavements after two years of construction in comparison to conventional pavement in a test road in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Three sections were constructed using different TDA materials, including passenger and light-truck tires (PLTT), off-the-road (OTR) tire particles, and a mix of PLTT and local subgrade soil, which was placed adjacent to a conventional section that acted as a control section. Falling weight deflectometer (FWD) tests were conducted in different seasons, and the back-calculation results revealed that although the subgrade of the TDA sections showed higher deflection and a lower resilient modulus compared with the control section, the load-bearing capacity of the TDA sections was greater than that for the control section. The section constructed using a mix of TDA material and soil showed almost the same performance as the control section.