Evaluation of Construction and Demolition Waste and Other Alternative Fills for Strip-Reinforced Soil Walls

Luis Alonso González Corrales, Rodrigo Cesar Pierozan, Gregório Luís Silva Araújo () and Ennio Marques Palmeira
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Luis Alonso González Corrales: Department of Geology, Central American School of Geology, University of Costa Rica, Ciudad Universitaria Rodrigo Facio, San José 214-2060, Costa Rica
Rodrigo Cesar Pierozan: Department of Civil Engineering, Federal Institute of Education, Science, and Technology of Rondonia, 4985 Calama Av., Porto Velho 76820-441, Brazil
Gregório Luís Silva Araújo: Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Brasilia, Darcy Ribeiro Campus, Brasilia 70910-900, Brazil
Ennio Marques Palmeira: Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Brasilia, Darcy Ribeiro Campus, Brasilia 70910-900, Brazil

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 12, 1-22

Abstract: This article assesses the pullout performance of ribbed metallic strips embedded in fill soils that do not conform to conventional design criteria for mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls. These alternative fill soils include gravelly and sandy recycled aggregates from construction and demolition waste, artificial and natural sands, and fine-grained lateritic soil. The research included soil characterization tests and large-scale pullout tests, conducted as part of this study. The results showed that the reinforcement pullout behavior was similar for recycled, artificial, and natural sands, indicating that soil particle size played a crucial role in mobilizing the interface pullout resistance. However, in the case of recycled sand, stress concentration at the reinforcement level led to particle crushing during pullout conditions, causing this material to exhibit less efficient performance compared to other sands. The fine-grained lateritic soil demonstrated inferior behavior compared to sandy soils, despite the interparticle bonding provided by the sesquioxide coating characteristic of intensely weathered tropical soils. Finally, an analytical prediction tool based on experimental results was developed, providing an alternative method to make conjectures about the performance of different soils during the pre-design stages, particularly based on particle size attributes.

Keywords: recycled construction and demolition waste; alternative fill materials; lateritic soil; pullout; mechanically stabilized earth walls (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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