Seismic performance of mechanically stabilized earth walls with Sand-Crumb rubber backfills of varying proportion

Abstract

The applicability of crumb rubber mixed with sand as alternative fill material in mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls is investigated in the current study. Shaking table tests have been conducted to analyze the dynamic response of model geogrid reinforced earth walls subjected to three different base input motions. Eight different sand-crumb rubber mixture combinations were used as backfill. The outcomes of this study provide quantitative results on how base excitation amplitudes could influence the seismic behavior of the MSE walls in the presence of sand-rubber backfill. The results have been analyzed in terms of deformation and rotation of the wall, settlement of backfill, acceleration amplification, and earth pressure response. Wall displacement and backfill settlement was found to reduce with the addition of rubber in the sand. The maximum displacement at the top of the wall was found to reduce by 45% at a rubber content of 30% for high peak ground acceleration (PGA) input motion. Two-wedge failure was observed with the failure envelope inclined at an angle of 49° from the vertical. Apart from this, the strain in the geogrid was decreased with an increase in the rubber content. Hence, the rubber content of 30% mixed with sand can be considered an optimum percentage to control the dynamic performance of MSE walls. In the end, a cost-benefit analysis was conducted, and it was found that using rubber as a partial substitute for sand backfill reduces the overall cost of the project. This research will also promote the use of recyclable rubber as a construction material in highway construction.