The effect of shredding and test apparatus size on compressibility and strength parameters of degraded municipal solid waste

Abstract

In many situations, MSW components are processed and shredded before use in laboratory experiments using conventional soil testing apparatus. However, shredding MSW material may affect the target property to be measured. The objective of this study is to contribute to the understanding of the effect of shredding of MSW on the measured compressibility and strength properties. It is hypothesized that measured properties can be correlated to an R-value, the ratio of waste particle size to apparatus size. Results from oedometer tests, conducted on 63.5 mm, 100 mm, 200 mm diameter apparatus, indicated the dependency of the compressibility parameters on R-value. The compressibility parameters are similar for the same R-value even though the apparatus size varies. The results using same apparatus size with variable R-values indicated that shredding of MSW mainly affects initial compression. Creep and biological strain rate of the tested MSW are not significantly affected by R-value. The shear strength is affected by shredding as the light-weight reinforcing materials are shredded into smaller pieces during specimen preparation. For example, the measured friction angles are 32 degrees and 27 degrees for maximum particle sizes of 50 mm and 25 mm, respectively. The larger MSW components in the specimen provide better reinforcing contribution. This conclusion is however dependent on comparing specimen at the same level of degradation since shear strength is also a function of extent of degradation.