Tire derived aggregate for retaining wall backfill under earthquake loading

•Dynamic pressure exerted on the wall became smaller in the TDA layer.•TDA experienced much larger residual shear deformation without major failure.•Top soil layer failed with vertical crack pattern and shall be reinforced.

Tire Derived Aggregate (TDA) is a recycled lightweight construction material produced by cutting waste tires. The present research aims at evaluating the dynamic performance of TDA backfill under simulated earthquakes based on a full-scale shake table test. Main test results such as accelerations, wall displacements, and dynamic pressures are presented and discussed in this paper. A comparison with a similar shake table test of a wall with conventional soil backfill shows that the amount of wall sliding increased but the dynamic pressure on the wall exerted by the TDA backfill substantially decreased.