Geomaterial Prepared from Waste Tyres, Soil and Cement

Discarded tyres are becoming globally problematic because recycling them may cause environment related problems. Thus, making use of them needs to be considered, and solutions must be sustainable. In addition, the solution should cover social, environmental, and economic sustainability. Nowadays, the waste tyres are increasingly being considered as construction material. This is because their basic properties are desirable for engineers. This work investigated the utilisation of used tyres as geomaterials by mixing them with low-strength soil and stabilised by cement for road and embankment construction. Two standard test methods were conducted: (1) California Bearing Ratio test and (2) Unconfined Compressive Strength test. The former and the latter were to determine the penetration resistance and shear strength, respectively, of which are some of the most important parameters in road design. The test results showed that low strength soil mixed with up to 15% of recycled tyre chips and stabilised by cement could be used for road construction thereby reducing the overall construction cost as well as improving the environment.