Seismic responses of geogrid reinforced wall with tire derived aggregates (TDA) backfill using reduced-scale shake table test

This paper reports a preliminary shake table test on a reduced-scale mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) wall with tire derived aggregates (TDA) backfill. The model MSE wall was built inside a steel-frame box on a one-dimensional shake table. The wall was 1.5 m high, 1.2 m deep, and 1.5 m long, and five layers of TDA backfill were reinforced using geogrid. The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake excitations were scaled up based on a similitude law and were simulated by the shake table with target peak ground acceleration of 1.62 g. Four types of seismic responses were measured: The accelerations in each reinforced backfill layer, the lateral wall face displacements at the bottom, middle, and top of the wall, the dynamic vertical settlements of the wall, and the dynamic vertical stresses within the backfill. These seismic responses were presented and analyzesd. Overall, the MSE wall performed well with no apparent damage. The maximum horizontal deflection of the wall face occurred at the top of the wall and was 7 cm, or 4.7% of the wall height. Due to the difficulty in achieving higher density, the TDA had a small settlement (approximately 2 cm), or 1.3% of the wall height. Limitations of this research were presented at the end of the paper.