Performance Evaluation of Highway Embankment Constructed from Tire-Derived Aggregate Using Falling Weight Deflectometer Tests

Abstract

To evaluate the performance of tire-derived aggregate (TDA) for use as highway embankment fill material, a test embankment was constructed in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The test embankment was 80 m in length and contained four different test sections, each 20 m in length. The four test sections consisted of embankment material made from passenger and light truck tires (PLTT), off-the-road (OTR) truck tires, TDA-soil mixture, and soil without TDA. The performance of the test embankment was evaluated using falling weight deflectometer (FWD) tests following the placement of each pavement layers (subgrade, base course, and asphalt). FWD deflection data measured at different times for a year, and backcalculated moduli and deflection basin parameters, such as maximum deflection (Do), base layer index (BLI), middle layer index (MLI), and lower layer index (LLI) computed from the deflection data suggest that a TDA fill with a design similar to that used in this study would perform satisfactorily as highway fill.