Substitute Building Materials in Geogrid-Reinforced Soil Structures

Sven Schwerdt, Dominik Mirschel, Tobias Hildebrandt, Max Wilke and Petra Schneider
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Sven Schwerdt: Department for Water, Environment, Civil Engineering and Safety, University of Applied Sciences Magdeburg-Stendal, Breitscheidstraße 2, D-39114 Magdeburg, Germany
Dominik Mirschel: Department for Water, Environment, Civil Engineering and Safety, University of Applied Sciences Magdeburg-Stendal, Breitscheidstraße 2, D-39114 Magdeburg, Germany
Tobias Hildebrandt: Department for Water, Environment, Civil Engineering and Safety, University of Applied Sciences Magdeburg-Stendal, Breitscheidstraße 2, D-39114 Magdeburg, Germany
Max Wilke: Department for Water, Environment, Civil Engineering and Safety, University of Applied Sciences Magdeburg-Stendal, Breitscheidstraße 2, D-39114 Magdeburg, Germany
Petra Schneider: Department for Water, Environment, Civil Engineering and Safety, University of Applied Sciences Magdeburg-Stendal, Breitscheidstraße 2, D-39114 Magdeburg, Germany

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 22, 1-15

Abstract: The feasibility of substitute building materials (SBMs) in engineering applications was investigated within the project. A geogrid-reinforced soil structure (GRSS) was built using SBM as the fill material as well as vegetated soil for facing and on top of the construction. Four different SBMs were used as fill material, namely blast furnace slag (BFS), electric furnace slag (EFS), track ballast (TB), and recycled concrete (RC). For the vegetated soil facing, a mixture of either recycled brick (RB) material or crushed lightweight concrete (LC) mixed with organic soil was used. The soil mechanical and chemical parameters for all materials were determined and assessed. In the next step, a GRSS was built as a pilot application consisting of three geogrid layers with a total height of 1.5 m and a slope angle of 60°. The results of the soil mechanical tests indicate that the used fill materials are similar or even better than primary materials, such as gravel. The results of the chemical tests show that some materials are qualified to be used in engineering constructions without or with minor restrictions. Other materials need a special sealing layer to prevent the material from leakage. The vegetation on the mixed SBM material grew successfully. Several ruderal and pioneer plants could be found even in the first year of the construction. The porous material (RB and LC) provide additional water storage capacity for plants especially during summer and/or heat periods. With regard to the results of the chemical analyses of the greening layers, they are usable under restricted conditions. Here special treatment is necessary. Finally, it can be stated that SBMs are feasible in GRSS, particularly as fill material but also as a mixture for the greenable soil.

Keywords: geogrid-reinforced soil structure; geogrid; substitute building material; recycled material; green infrastructure (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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