Experimental Investigation of Applicability of Sand Tire Chip Mixtures as Retaining Wall Backfill

TLDR: In this paper, the behavior of a cantilever retaining wall (CRW) backfilled with light weight fill material through small scale model wall tests was explained. But the model wall was installed in a Perspex container, tested under static and seismic loading conditions.

Abstract: This paper explains the behavior of a cantilever retaining wall (CRW) backfilled with light weight fill material through small scale model wall tests. CRW model of height 60 cm and base width 50 cm was built with hollow aluminum sections. The model wall was installed in a Perspex container, tested under static and seismic loading conditions. Waste tire chips of 1 cm square cross section and 20 mm length mixed with the cohesionless sand in 5%, 10%, and 15% by weight were used as light weight backfill material. Concrete cubes were used as surcharge loading on the backfill during static testing. The lateral wall movements along the height of the wall were monitored during tests using displacement transformers. 1g shaking table tests have been conducted on the selective models to check the behavior of the cantilever wall under seismic loading conditions. It has been observed that the inclusion of tire chips in the backfill soil has led to the reduction of lateral wall movements due to the lesser unit weight of the mixtures. The reduction in the acceleration of the backfill was also observed during seismic testing in sand-tire chip (S-TC) backfill compared to the controlled case (only sand).