Experimental and numerical study on the pullout behavior of rib-enhanced tire strips embedded in tire crumb-silt mixture

This paper presents a method of using rib enhanced tire strips (RETSs) and tire crumb-silt mixtures as coreinforcement for mechanical stabilized earth walls (MSEWs). To demonstrate the effectiveness of the coreinforcement, triaxial and pullout experiments were conducted. The experimental results found that the inclusion of tire crumbs in silt could enhance the strength of the mixtures. Besides, utilization of enhancement ribs increased the pullout resistance of tire strips. Based on the experimental results, a numerical model by coupling of Finite Difference method (FDM) and Discrete Element Method (DEM) was established. The model was validated, then was utilized to study the soil-RETS interaction mechanisms. Mechanism study proved that the 1st enhancement rib contributed the most to pullout resistance, while the 2nd and 3rd ribs provide less. Parameter studies revealed that under constant spacing, the most influential factor on resistance distribution was height of enhancement rib. Crumb content (Cc) had limited effects on the resistance distribution while the vertical pressure (sigma mu) had nearly no impact. The proposed reinforcement method could contribute to MSEW engineering projects, while the numerical method provides better understanding on pullout of RETS for researchers in this field.