Mechanical behavior assessment of tire-reinforced recycled aggregates for low traffic road construction

Abstract

In this work, a sustainable constructive system for pavement layers on rural roads, using recycled vehicle tires and Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) infills, is addressed; here, used tires form a cellular lateral confinement system for recycled aggregates. In order to study the mechanical behavior of the cellular system, an experimental study and computational simulations were carried out. First, CDW recycled aggregates were characterized in the laboratory; then a small-scale road model was built and in-situ tests, such as Dynamic Cone Penetration - DCP and impact deflection tests, were conducted. Finally, deflection test results were used as inputs for the back-calculation of resilient layer moduli through computational aids. Based on the observed behavior of the pavement layer reinforced with the cellular system, it can be concluded about the feasibility and relevance of using recycled materials as alternatives for rural roads construction. In this direction, the reuse of materials like Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) and the principle of cellular confinement system can play an important role in engineering works, especially for road construction.