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Journal of Testing and Evaluation, Jan. 2005, Vol. 33, No. 1

Paper ID JTE11961
Available online at: www.astm.org

TECHNICAL NOTE

M. A. Warith,1 E. Evgin,2 P. A. S. Benson,3 and Sudhakar M. Rao4

Evaluation of Permeability of Tire Shreds Under

Vertical Loading

ABSTRACT: A concern in the use of tire shreds as drainage media in landfill leachate collection systems is the impact of compression strains on
the permeability of the waste material, as earlier work has reported that these materials experience large (25 to 50 %) axial strains when subjected
to vertical loading. This study examines the changes in permeability of a tire shred sample after being subjected to 30 to 50 % axial strain from
average vertical stresses of 75 to 330 kPa. The maximum vertical stress of 330 kPa approximated 40 m of waste overburden. A constant-head
permeability apparatus was fabricated to measure the permeability of the tire shred sample under different axial strains. Further, the fabricated
assembly was capable of measuring permeability of the sample at various sample locations at a given strain level. Experimental results showed that
despite experiencing large axial strains, the average permeability of the tire shred sample consistently remained two to three orders of magnitude
higher than the design performance criterion of 0.01 cm/s for landfill drainage layers, suggesting that the compressible nature of tire shreds will not
interfere in their use as a leachate collection drainage layer in municipal solid waste landfills.

KEYWORDS: tire shreds, landfills, leachate collection, drainage layer

Introduction the clogging of tire shreds. Bead metal wires protruding from tire
shreds can however scratch or puncture the geotextile separator
An environmentally acceptable method for disposal of scrap tires
or the geosynthetic liner of the containment system. Two options
is an important issue in North America, as over 280 million scrap
have been suggested to minimize the tearing of geotextiles by the
tires are generated annually [1]. Major applications of scrap tires
protruding bead wires [14,16]. One option is to place a soil layer, a
include their use as lightweight fills for retaining walls and embank-
minimum of a 150 mm thick, between the tire shreds and geosyn-
ments constructed on weak ground and in roadbed construction [2–
thetic material. The other more laborious option is the removal of
10]. Tire shreds (scrap tires cut into 30 to 300 mm pieces) have also
the bead wires prior to shredding the scrap tires. Yet another major
been used as an alternative to crushed stones (gravel) as drainage
concern of using tire shreds as a leachate collection drainage layer
media in landfill leachate collection systems [11,12]. Tire shreds
in landfills is their substantial compressibility under loads imposed
have a hydraulic conductivity of approximately 3 × 10−2 cm/s [13],
by the overburden of waste material. The overburden pressure and
indicating that they are well suited for use as drainage material in
resulting compression of tire shreds is significant since the leachate
landfill leachate collection systems. Tire shreds can be compacted
drainage material is located at the base of the waste mass. Axial
to dry densities of 5.9–6.7 kN/m3 at relatively low compactive
strains of approximately 25 % have been reported for 75 mm tire
efforts: increase in compactive effort, however, does not improve
shreds under the low vertical stress of 48 kPa. Much larger axial
the dry density of the tire shreds [14]. Tests have also shown that
strains of approximately 50 % occur under the higher vertical stress
compaction does not break the tire shreds into smaller sizes. Typical
of 483 kPa [17]. The large compressions of tire shreds under waste
drainage layer thickness of 300 to 450 mm can be achieved by
loading may decrease the hydraulic conductivity (permeability),
compacting the tire shreds in one or two lifts. Unlike gravels and
hampering their function as a drainage medium. The present study
crushed stones, tire shreds are uniformly graded, increasing their
therefore examines the permeability of tire shreds when subjected
susceptibility to clogging due to infiltration of fine particles and
to large axial strains of 30 to 50 %. Compressing the tire shreds to
biofilm growth under ambient anaerobic conditions [14,15]. Warith
average vertical stresses of 75 to 330 kPa attained this range of axial
et al. [14] propose the placement of a geotextile separator over the
strains. The maximum vertical stress of 330 kPa approximated 40 m
tire shreds and the recirculation of landfill leachate to minimize
of waste overburden height (bulk unit weight = 9 to 10 kN/m3 ).

Manuscript received May 21, 2003; accepted for publication July 23, 2004;
published Jan. 2005. Experimental Approach and Results
1 Department of Civil Engineering, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON.
2 Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON. Tire shreds from a shredding facility in Ontario were used in
3 Project Manager, Golder Associates Ltd., Ottawa, ON. the study. The grain size distribution curve (Fig. 1) of the tire
4 Visiting Professor, Ryerson University and Associate Professor, Department shred sample was typical of uniformly graded material with sizes
of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India. ranging from 20 to 75 mm. Typical grain size distribution curves of

Copyright

C 2005 by ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959.
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52 JOURNAL OF TESTING AND EVALUATION

100 the tire shred sample at various axial strains. Schematic diagrams
SP
90 GW- well graded gravel of the testing assembly are illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. Figure 2
Percent finer by weight

SW GP- poorly graded gravel

80 SW - well graded sand highlights details of the compression testing arrangement in the
70 SP - poorly graded sand assembly, while Fig. 3 highlights details of the permeability testing
60
GP
arrangement in the assembly.
50 A Tinius Olsen Universal Testing Machine compressed the tire
Tire shred
40
sample GW shreds to the desired strain level by pushing the top porous cap to
30 predetermined positions representing 30, 35, 40, 45, and 50 % axial
20 strain (Fig. 2). Axial strain at each load increment was calculated
10 as axial deformation (mm) divided by the initial sample thickness
0 (840 mm). The top porous plate was locked in the pushed position
1000 100 10 Grain size in Millimeters
1 0.1 0.01 0.001
by two aluminum locking pins, 12.7 mm in diameter, that were in-
Gravel
75 mm 19 mm 4.75 mm
Sand
2 mm 0.425 mm 0.075 mm
serted through holes drilled in the wall of the PVC cylinder (Fig. 3).
300 mm
Cobbles
coarse fine coarse medium fine
Silt or Clay The locations of these holes were calculated based on the initial
sample height of 840 mm. Locking the top porous cap facilitated
FIG. 1—Comparison of tire shred size ranges with those of well-graded the testing of the permeability of compressed tire shreds at prede-
and poorly-graded sands and gravels. GW, GP, SW, and SP curves after termined axial strain levels (30 to 50 %). At each strain level, the
[18].
universal testing machine measured the vertical stress at the sample
top while a load cell measured the vertical stress at the sample base.
well-graded gravel (GW), well-graded sand (SW), poorly-graded Calculation of average vertical stress at each strain level assumed
gravel (GP), and poorly-graded sand (SP) are included in Fig. 1 a linear stress distribution through the sample height and was ob-
[18] to give a frame of reference for grain size distribution of the tained by averaging loads measured at the top and bottom of the
tire shred sample. The coefficient of uniformity of the tire shred sample. Average vertical stresses of 75 to 330 kPa caused axial
sample was calculated from the equation: strains of 30 to 50 %.
Taps drilled in the walls of the PVC cylinder at 50 mm intervals
Cu = D60 /D10 were connected to eight piezometers (numbered from top to bottom)
to measure head loss at various locations in the sample during the
where D60 and D10 are particle diameters (in mm) corresponding
permeability test (Fig. 3). Water was permeated from bottom to top
to 10 % and 60 % passing by mass of the sample on the grain size
of the sample using high-pressure faucets. At each strain level, head
distribution curve (Fig. 1). The coefficient of uniformity of the tire
loss between the first (uppermost) and fourth tap; second and fifth
shred sample corresponds to 1.96, classifying the tire shred sample
tap; third and sixth tap; fourth and seventh tap; and fifth and eighth
as uniformly graded [18].
(lowermost) tap was measured to determine the permeability of
Tire shred pieces were loosely packed in a PVC (poly-
tire shreds at various locations in the sample using Darcy’s equation:
vinyl chloride) cylinder (dimensions: length = 1000 mm, outer
diameter = 317 mm, inner diameter = 296 mm) at a density of K = QL/Ath
0.5 Mg/m3 (mass = 28.4 kg, volume = 0.058 m3 ) and to a thickness
of 840 mm. The inner diameter of the PVC cylinder was approx- where Q is the volume of water collected in the sink (Fig. 3) in
imately 4 times greater than the largest tire shred piece (75 mm). time t, L is the sample length between two taps, h is the head loss
The inner walls of the PVC cylinder were coated with a silicone- between two taps, and A is the area of cross-section of the sam-
based lubricant spray to minimize friction between tire shred pieces ple. The permeability of the tire shred sample generally increased
and cylinder walls during compression. The PVC cylinder formed with sample depth (Fig. 4). This apparently results from the up-
a part of the constant head apparatus for testing the permeability of per portions being compressed more than the lower portions due to

CONCRETE CYLINDER
PLYWOOD ENDCAP
(WITH ALUMINUM FACING)

PVC CYLINDER

TIRE SHRED SAMPLE

PLYWOOD ENDCAP
(WITH ALUMINUM FACING)
LOAD CELL

LOAD CELL TINIUS OLSEN

ADOUT BOX UNIVERSAL
TESTING
STEEL SPACER PLATES MACHINE

FIG. 2—Schematic diagram of testing assembly-details of compression testing.

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 WARITH ET AL. ON PERMEABILITY OF TIRE SHREDS 53

VENT HOLE
OVERFLOW RESERVOIR
POROUS CAP
LOCKING PIN

PIEZOMETER PANEL
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
COMPRESSED TIRE CHIPS
PVC CYLINDER
OUTLET TO SINK
METRE STICK

SINK
(With known
cross-sectional
area)
POROUS CAP

LOCKING PIN PIEZOMETER

DRAIN PLUG TUBING
LEGS
WATER HOSES

FIG. 3—Schematic diagram of testing assembly-details of permeability testing.

50

45
14
40 Axial strain = 30 %
Axial strain = 35 % 12
35
Height above sample base, cm

Average Permeability, cm/s

Axial strain = 40 %
30 10
Axial strain = 45 %
Axial strain = 50 % 8
25

20 6

15 4

10 2

5 0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 Average Vertical Stress, kPa

Permeability coefficient, cm/sec FIG. 5—Variation in average permeability with average vertical stress.
FIG. 4—Variation in permeability with sample depth.
60

50

nonuniform stress distribution. The permeability values determined

40
at 30 and 35 % axial strain show a jump at heights of about 32 and
Axial strain, %

38 cm, respectively, above the sample base (Fig. 4). The jumps in
30
permeability values are perhaps due to nonuniform compressions
within the upper zone, at the lower axial strains (i.e., 30 and 35 %).
20
The permeability values measured at the five locations were aver-
aged at each strain application.
Figure 5 presents variations in average permeability as a function 10

of average vertical stress acting on the tire shred sample. The aver-
age permeability of the tire shred sample decreases from 10 cm/s 0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
to 0.7 cm/s with an increase in average vertical stress from 75 to
Average vertical stress, kPa
330 kPa. Figure 6 shows that average vertical stresses of 75 and
330 kPa cause axial strains of 30 and 50 %, respectively. More FIG. 6—Variation in average vertical stress versus axial strain.

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54 JOURNAL OF TESTING AND EVALUATION

importantly, the range of permeability values suggests that despite [7] Papp, W. J., Jr., Maher, M. H., and Baker, R. F., “Use of Shred-
suffering extensive axial strains, the tire shred sample does not lose ded Tires in the Subbase Layers of Asphalt Pavements,” Test-
its effectiveness as a drainage layer. Laboratory permeability test ing Soil Mixed with Waste, ASTM STP 1275, M. A. Wasemiller
results on the tire shred sample under a range of vertical stresses and K. B. Hoddinott, Eds., ASTM International, West Con-
are consistently two to three orders of magnitude greater than shohocken, PA, 1997, pp. 286–298.
the design performance criterion of 0.01 cm/s for landfill drainage [8] Humphrey, D. N., Katz, L. E., and Blumenthal, M., “Water
layers [19]. Employing thicker tire shred layers to compensate for Quality Effects of Tire Chip Fills Placed Above the Ground
the reduction in thickness from waste loadings should help meet Water Table,” Testing Soil Mixed with Waste, ASTM STP 1275,
the design criterion for leachate drainage layer thickness (300 to M. A. Wasemiller and K. B. Hoddinott, Eds., ASTM Interna-
450 mm) in municipal landfills. tional, West Conshohocken, PA, 1997, pp. 300–313.
[9] Humphrey, D. N., Whetten, N., Weaver, J., Recker, K., and
Cosgrove, T. A., “Tire Shreds as Lightweight Fill for Embank-
Conclusions
ments and Retaining Walls,” Recycled Materials in Geotech-
Laboratory-scale permeability testing equipment was developed nical Applications, ASCE Geotechnical Special Publication
for evaluating the permeability of tire shred samples under varied No. 79, ASCE, Virginia, USA, 1998, pp. 51–65.
vertical loads. The tests were designed to evaluate the suitability [10] Tweedie, J. J., Humphrey, D. N., and Sandford, T. C.,
of tire shred as a leachate collection drainage layer in municipal “Tire Shreds as Retaining Wall Backfill, Active Conditions,”
solid waste under varied waste loadings. The tire shred sample Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering,
experienced 30 to 50 % axial strain under average vertical stresses ASCE, Vol. 124, 1998, pp. 1061–1070.
of 75 to 330 kPa. At a given strain level, the permeability of the tire [11] Humphrey, D. N. and Manion, W. P., “Properties of Tire
shred sample varied with sample depth in response to nonuniformity Chips for Lightweight Fill,” Grouting, Soil Improvement and
in stress distribution. Despite experiencing large axial strains, the Geosynthetics, Proceedings of the Conference Sponsored by
permeability of the tire shred sample consistently remained two the Geotechnical Engineering Division of the American So-
to three orders of magnitude higher than the design performance ciety of Civil Engineers, Vol. 2, New Orleans, LA, February
criterion of 0.01 cm/s for municipal landfill drainage layers. Based 25–28, 1992, pp. 1344–1355.
on the results of this study, it can be concluded that the compressible [12] Humphrey, D. N., “Civil Engineering Applications of Tire
nature of tire shreds will not prevent their use as a leachate collection Shreds,” Proceedings of the Tire Industry Conference, Clem-
drainage layer in municipal solid waste landfills. son University, March 3–5, 1999, 16 pp.
[13] Gonzales, L. and Williams, J., Use of Shredded Tires as
Lightweight Fill Backfill Material for Retaining Structures,
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