Study on compaction characteristics and discrete element simulation for rubber particle-loess mixed soil

Wen-qi  Kou; Jian-guang  Bai; Hai-jun  Li; Qing-hong  Liu

doi:10.18282/ice.v6i1.618

Wen-qi Kou College of Energy and Transportation Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
Jian-guang Bai College of Energy and Transportation Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
Hai-jun Li College of Energy and Transportation Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
Qing-hong Liu College of Energy and Transportation Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China

Ariticle ID: 618

299 Views, 188 PDF Downloads

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18282/ice.v6i1.618

Keywords: rubber particles; loess; compaction characteristics; discrete element method; micromechanics

Abstract

The rapid surge in traffic volume in China has resulted in a substantial accumulation of waste tires. By harnessing the lightweight and deformable characteristics of tire rubber particles, they are combined with soil to form rubber particle-loess mixed soil, which is progressively being embraced in civil engineering as a pivotal approach towards attaining green and sustainable development. In this study, waste tire rubber particles were integrated into loess to generate rubber particle-loess mixed soil, and compaction tests were conducted to investigate its compaction characteristics. Furthermore, PFC^3D (Particle Flow Code 3D) was utilized for simulating the bearing ratio test of rubber particle-loess mixed soil, thereby validating the feasibility of numerical simulation for calculating CBR (California bearing ratio) values and exploring the relationship between micromechanical characteristics and macroscopic characteristics of such mixtures. The findings indicate that the maximum dry density of rubber particle-loess mixed soil significantly decreases with an increasing content of rubber particles. The utilization of PFC^3D discrete element software proves efficacious in examining the bearing capacity of this mixture. Notably, when 20 mesh rubber particles constitute 20% by volume, the CBR value reaches its pinnacle and exhibits optimal bearing capacity. From a micromechanical perspective, the variation in internal porosity of rubber particle-loess mixed soil is positively associated with changes in macroscopic optimal water content, and negatively associated with changes in macroscopic CBR value. incorporating rubber particles enhances resistance against external forces while diminishing deformation within loess. This study provides a guidance for the efficient utilization of waste tires and the improvement of loess’s characteristics.

References

Gu Y, Liu J. Experimental study on compressibility of lightweight granulated rubber-sand mixtures (Chinese). Henan Science. 2022; 40(9): 1427-1433.

Edil T, Bosscher P. Engineering Properties of Tire Chips and Soil Mixtures. Geotechnical Testing Journal. 1994; 17(4): 453-464. doi: 10.1520/gtj10306j

Bosscher PJ, Thncer BE, Senro K. Design of high-way embankments using tire chips. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering. 1997; 123(4): 295-304. doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(1997)123:4(295)

Calabrese A, Losanno D, Spizzuoco M, et al. Recycled Rubber Fiber Reinforced Bearings (RR-FRBs) as base isolators for residential buildings in developing countries: The demonstration building of Pasir Badak, Indonesia. Engineering Structures. 2019; 192: 126-144. doi: 10.1016/j.engstruct.2019.04.076

Rao SM, Joshua RE, Rekapalli M. Batch-scale remediation of toluene contaminated groundwater using PRB system with tyre crumb rubber and sand mixture. Journal of Water Process Engineering. 2020; 35: 101198. doi: 10.1016/j.jwpe.2020.101198

Anvari SM, Shooshpasha I, Kutanaei SS. Effect of granulated rubber on shear strength of fine-grained sand. Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. 2017; 9(5): 936-944. doi: 10.1016/j.jrmge.2017.03.008

Xin L, Liu H, Shen Y, He J. Consolidated undrained triaxial compression tests on lightweight soil mixed with rubber chips of scrap tires (Chinese). Chinese Journal of Geotechnical Engineering. 2010; 32(3): 428-433.

Kong D, Jia T, Wang X, et al. Test on unconfined compressive strength of lightweight soil mixed with rubber chips of scrap tires (Chinese). Journal of Central South University (Science and Technology). 2016; 47(1): 225-231.

Deng A, Feng J. Effect of scrap tire bead addition on shear behavior of sand (Chinese). Journal of PLA University of Science and Technology (Nature Science Edition). 2009; 10(5): 483-487.

Neaz Sheikh M, Mashiri MS, Vinod JS, et al. Shear and compressibility behavior of sand-tire crumb mixtures. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering. 2013; 25(10): 1366–1374.

Liu Q, Zhuang H, Wu Q, et al. Dynamic shear modulus and damping ratio of rubber-sand mixtures in different range of shearing strain amplitudes (Chinese). Journal of Vibration Engineering. 2021; 34(4): 712-720.

Zou W, Xie P, Ma Q, et al. Experiment on characteristics of expansive soil modified with waste tire rubber particles (Chinese). Journal of Sichuan University (Nature Science Edition). 2011; 43(3): 44-48．

Zhou E, Zhang J, Cui L, et al. Compaction and dynamic deformation properties of rubber-Silt lightweight mixed soil (Chinese). Journal of Building Materials. 2021; 24(6): 1242-1247.

Hu Z, Liu Z, Zhang Z, et al. Tset on influence of rubber powder on dynamic mechanic properties of manipulated loess (Chinese). Journal of Chang’an University (Nature Science Edition). 2013; 33(4): 62-67.

Chen B, Zhu F, Han Q. Study on the intrinsic mechanism and influencing factors of CBR test (Chinese). Traffic Standardization. 2001; 29(1): 28-30.

Li P, Xu J, Wen X, Yu L. CBR experiment study of loess subgrade meliorated with lime (Chinese). Journal of Gansu Sciences. 2008; 20(4): 74-77.

Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, People’s Republic of China. GB/T 50123-2019. Standard for Geotechnical Test Methods. Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development; 2019.

ASTM International. ASTM(D1883-14), Standard Test Method for California Bearing Ratio (CBR) of Laboratory Compacted Soils. ASTM International, West Conshohocken; 2014.

Fu X, Hou D, Li Q, et al. Characteristics between macro-meso parameters and calibration method of soft creep particle flow (Chinese). Soil Eng.and Foundation. 2023; 37(3): 501-505.

Xu J, Cao B, Yu Y, Luo Y. Sensitivity analysis of meso-parameters in loess triaxial test based on PFC3D (Chinese). Journal of Engineering Geology. 2021; 29(5): 1342-1353.

Liu F, Wu M. Micromechanics simulation of direct shear test of rubber-sand mixture with discrete element method (Chinese). Journal of Hefei University of Technology. 2017; 40(7): 944-951.

Peng A, Li L, Zhang Z. Study on the meso-mechanical behavior of California bearing ratio of graded gravel with discrete element method (Chinese). Journal of Railway Science and Engineering. 2019; 16(10): 2467-2474.

Hou J, Xu D, Zhang C. Meso mechanism analysis of geogrid reinforced foundations under strip footing (Chinese). Journal of Shanghai University (Natural Science Edition). 2023; 29(6): 1030-1041.