Use of Scrap Tires in Road Construction

Growing piles of discarded tires create fire and health hazards. Current disposal methods are wasteful and costly. This paper presents the results of an investigation into the potential of shredded tires as fill material in road construction. A test road was built to study the constructability, durability, and performance of tire chips as a new construction material. The road was made up of six sections to examine the effects of (1) Tire-chip size; (2) method of placement; and (3) soil-cap thickness on road performance. The field operation proved that use of shredded tires in road construction poses no major handling or placement problems. However, the high compressibility of tire chips and their tendency to shift laterally under compaction equipment need to be noted. The performance of the test road was monitored under freeze-thaw conditions and under service loads. The road showed acceptable performance with moderate maintenance requirements and minimum undesirable effects on ground water quality under the tested conditions.