Tire Derived Aggregate for Sustainable Construction

Dear Colleagues,

An upcoming Special Issue on “Sustainable Engineering and Science” will focus on use of tire derived aggregate (TDA) as a sustainable construction material for embankments, retaining wall backfill, drainage medium, thermal insulation, vibration damping, and other applications. TDA is made from scrap car and truck tires that have reached the end of their useful life. Depending on the application, the scrap tires are processed into pieces with a maximum size ranging from 50 mm to approximately 300 mm. The material has a low in-place density, high permeability, low thermal conductivity, and good vibration damping properties. TDA can be placed with conventional construction equipment. Since it was first introduced in the 1980s, it has been used for lightweight fill for highway embankments built on soft ground, backfill for bridge abutments, frost barrier beneath roads in cold climates, drainage layers beneath roads and parking lots, vibration damping layers beneath rail lines, leachate and gas collection layers in landfills, and leachate distribution layers in onsite wastewater treatment systems. A single cubic meter of TDA contains the equivalent of 100 passenger car tires, so large quantities of scrap tires can be put to beneficial reuse even on small projects.

The scope of this issue includes field case histories of application of TDA; environmental impact of TDA; economic analysis of TDA compared to other engineering solutions; numerical modeling of the performance of TDA especially when supported by actual field data; laboratory and test chamber studies of TDA properties; and novel applications of TDA that have not yet been discussed in the literature. To qualify for this issue, the TDA must meet the definition given in ASTM D6260-08 as “pieces of scrap tires that have a basic geometrical shape and are generally between 50 and 305 mm in size”. Papers focusing on granulated rubber with a maximum size less than 12 mm will not be accepted, as their value relative to TDA is so high that they can only be used in higher-value applications.

The purpose of this issue is to further document the benefits of TDA in civil engineering applications along with the factors that lead to successful projects. By consolidating this knowledge in a single issue, it will be a valuable resource for engineers designing projects and resource managers seeking to increase the beneficial reuse rates for scrap tires.

Prof. Dr. Dana N. Humphrey
Guest Editor

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• tire derived aggregate
• TDA
• scrap tires
• roads
• embankments
• retaining walls
• landfills
• drainage layers
• gas collection layers
• thermal insulation
• vibration damping
• railroads