Influence Of Worn Tire Rubber Fibres On The Swelling Potential And Pressure Of Clay Soils

The valorization of waste materials in the stabilization and reinforcement of soils is considered one of the most appropriate ways to reduce environmental pollution problems and to preserve natural resources, as it can also contribute to reducing the cost of produced materials. The main disadvantage of using fibres in geotechnical engineering remains their cost, which has limited their use in soil reinforcement. This paper focuses on the use of rubber fibres from used tires to reduce the potential for clay swelling, and the effect of this kind of fibre on swelling behaviour of soils. The reinforcement of the clays used in this work was made by the incorporation of rubber fibres at different weight contents; 0%, 1%, 2.5% and 10%. Eight mixtures were prepared and tested on swelling. The results of the experimental investigation show that the induction of rubber fibres at low percentages (1 and 2.5%) considerably reduces the amplitude and the swelling pressure of the clay. For a fibre content of 10%, the compressibility of the reinforced mixture becomes high. The obtained results also confirm the possibility of using the tires rubber waste as a material for reinforcing or stabilizing clay soils, which is very important in many applications especially in road engineering.(c) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Second International Conference on Aspects of Materials Science and Engineering (ICAMSE 2021).