Performance Monitoring of Embankments Containing Tire Chips: Case Study

Abstract

Tire chips (or shredded tires) have been successfully used as a filler material in a number of embankments, but this use has also led to problems such as spontaneous combustion, settlement, and so on. To ensure proper construction and to avoid such problems, the Texas Department of Transportation sponsored a study to monitor the performance of embankments constructed of tire shred fill material in El Paso, Texas. Three embankments, consisting of (1) a mixture of soil and shredded tires; (2) shredded tires wrapped in a geotextile; and (3) a reference embankment built with conventional soil, were instrumented and monitored. The performance of the embankments in terms of vertical settlement, temperature change, and air and water constituency changes were monitored. The performance of these three embankments has shown that there is little potential for environmental impacts in a climate like that of El Paso, and that the construction techniques employed limited the settlements in comparison with some previous experiences.