Reducing Load Transfer to Buried Pipes Through Coupled Use of Geogrid Reinforcement and Sand Rubber Zone in the Backfill Material

Abstract

AbstractA laboratory study, consisting of 21 tests, was conducted to examine precisely the impact of using a sand-rubber mixture with three different ratios of rubber (3, 5, and 7%) in a particular zone within the backfill and a geogrid reinforcement on the pressure transferred to buried pipes from surface loads. The pipe was buried at two different burial depths of 1.5 and 2 times the pipe diameter. Tests were conducted with a geogrid-reinforcement layer placed above and below the sand-rubber zone to determine the optimal performance of the proposed system. The findings from these tests are expected to contribute valuable insights into the development of effective strategies for reducing the impact on buried pipes and enhancing their overall resilience, particularly in the face of increasing surface loading. The results revealed that using a rubber ratio of 5% would present the optimum rubber ratio and using a geogrid layer above the sand-rubber zone would provide additional stability, where the bearing capacity of the system was increased by 33.7%, independent of the pipe burial depth and rubber ratio. Furthermore, the use of a sand-rubber mixture and a geogrid layer contributed to decreasing the pressure transferred to the pipe crown and the deformation of the soil surface, respectively.