IMPROVEMENT OF COHESIVE SOIL SUBGRADE BY USING TIRE SCRAP
Keywords:
Cohesive soil; tire chips; modified proctor test; falling head permeability test; large scale direct shear testAbstract
The disposal of tire scrap has become a nightmare in contemporary times. With the global increase in
number of vehicles the production of tires has also increased manifold which in turn has resulted in accumulation of
tones of tire scrap being generated each year. Traditionally, tire scrap is either burnt or being dumped off having severe
environmental consequences. The cohesive soils are not preferred by highway engineers due to its low shearing strength
and poor water draining capabilities thereby making it an undesirable choice for construction of a highway project. In
this study an A-6 soil was taken and various proportions (05%,10%,15%) of tire chips (0.5”,1”,1.5’) were added to form
samples which were then tested against Modified Proctor, Falling Head Permeability and Large-scale Direct Shear
Tests. It was concluded that addition of tire chips to cohesive soil mass had far reaching impact on the strength and
hydraulic conductivity parameters of the mixtures and hence the waste could be utilized in an environmental friendly
manner.
