Presented at:
Transportation Research Board 89th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers, January 2010

Authors:
Christopher L. Helstrom, Staff Engineer, Haley & Aldrich; James W. Weaver, P.E., Vice President, Haley & Aldrich; Dana N. Humphrey

Abstract:

Tire derived aggregate (TDA) consists of scrap tires cut into pieces typically ranging in size from 0.5 in. (12 mm) and 12 in. (305 mm) and has been used as a construction material in several states over 20 years for various applications including lightweight fill, thermal insulation, vibration attenuation, and drainage layers. A special case of use as lightweight fill is backfill for retaining walls. Over the past decade the use of TDA as backfill for retaining walls has been studied in a series of five full-scale instrumented projects. The primary goal of these projects was to measure earth pressures behind retaining walls backfilled with TDA. The data was used to make inferences relative to post-construction lateral earth pressure coefficients and to quantify potential benefits in terms of reduced lateral pressures and reduced overturning moments acting on the structures.

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