Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Advances in Construction Materials and Sustainable Environment Select Proceedings of ICCME 2020 1st Edition Ashok Kumar Gupta
Advances in Construction Materials and Sustainable Environment Select Proceedings of ICCME 2020 1st Edition Ashok Kumar Gupta
Advances in Construction Materials and Sustainable Environment Select Proceedings of ICCME 2020 1st Edition Ashok Kumar Gupta
https://ebookmeta.com/product/sustainable-construction-materials-
select-proceedings-of-acmm-2021-1st-edition-k-s-satyanarayanan/
https://ebookmeta.com/product/advances-in-civil-engineering-
select-proceedings-of-icace-2020-1st-edition-scott-arthur/
https://ebookmeta.com/product/advances-in-thermofluids-and-
renewable-energy-select-proceedings-of-tfre-2020-1st-edition-
pinakeswar-mahanta/
https://ebookmeta.com/product/processing-and-characterization-of-
materials-select-proceedings-of-cpcm-2020-1st-edition-snehanshu-
pal/
Recent Advances in Industrial Production Select
Proceedings of ICEM 2020 Rajeev Agrawal (Editor)
https://ebookmeta.com/product/recent-advances-in-industrial-
production-select-proceedings-of-icem-2020-rajeev-agrawal-editor/
https://ebookmeta.com/product/advances-in-energy-technology-
select-proceedings-of-emsme-2020-1st-edition-ramesh-c-bansal/
https://ebookmeta.com/product/advances-in-signal-processing-and-
communication-engineering-select-proceedings-of-
icaspace-2021-pradip-kumar-jain/
https://ebookmeta.com/product/advances-in-geo-science-and-geo-
structures-select-proceedings-of-gsgs-2020-154-lecture-notes-in-
civil-engineering-154-awdhesh-kumar-choudhary-editor/
https://ebookmeta.com/product/recent-advances-in-artificial-
intelligence-and-data-engineering-select-proceedings-of-
aide-2020-advances-in-intelligent-systems-and-computing-1386/
Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering
Advances in
Construction
Materials and
Sustainable
Environment
Select Proceedings of ICCME 2020
Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering
Volume 196
Series Editors
Marco di Prisco, Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy
Sheng-Hong Chen, School of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering,
Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
Ioannis Vayas, Institute of Steel Structures, National Technical University of
Athens, Athens, Greece
Sanjay Kumar Shukla, School of Engineering, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup,
WA, Australia
Anuj Sharma, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
Nagesh Kumar, Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Science
Bangalore, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Chien Ming Wang, School of Civil Engineering, The University of Queensland,
Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering (LNCE) publishes the latest developments in
Civil Engineering - quickly, informally and in top quality. Though original
research reported in proceedings and post-proceedings represents the core of
LNCE, edited volumes of exceptionally high quality and interest may also be
considered for publication. Volumes published in LNCE embrace all aspects and
subfields of, as well as new challenges in, Civil Engineering. Topics in the series
include:
• Construction and Structural Mechanics
• Building Materials
• Concrete, Steel and Timber Structures
• Geotechnical Engineering
• Earthquake Engineering
• Coastal Engineering
• Ocean and Offshore Engineering; Ships and Floating Structures
• Hydraulics, Hydrology and Water Resources Engineering
• Environmental Engineering and Sustainability
• Structural Health and Monitoring
• Surveying and Geographical Information Systems
• Indoor Environments
• Transportation and Traffic
• Risk Analysis
• Safety and Security
All books in the series now indexed by Scopus and EI Compendex database!
Advances in Construction
Materials and Sustainable
Environment
Select Proceedings of ICCME 2020
Editors
Ashok Kumar Gupta Sanjay Kumar Shukla
Department of Civil Engineering School of Engineering
Jaypee University of Information Edith Cowan University
Technology Joondalup, WA, Australia
Solan, India
Hazi Azamathulla
Department of Civil and Environmental
Engineering
University of the West Indies
St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21-01/04 Gateway East, Singapore 189721,
Singapore
Preface
With the increasing population worldwide, depletion of major resources with subse-
quent increase in waste generation has become inevitable. There is a need to under-
stand that development at the stake of resources and its contribution to mass waste
production require immediate attention. One such solution is the adoption of sustain-
ability in our materials which are used for construction. Sustainability is often defined
as the ability to fulfill the present socioeconomic demands of the society without
compromising the naturally available resources required for future use and still main-
taining the ecological balance. Therefore, in the present scenario, selection, planning,
design, construction, and maintenance methods as used by civil engineers require
a sustainable approach. The growing importance of attaining sustainable environ-
ment can significantly be realized by incorporating use of sustainable materials for
construction. A new generation of stronger, lighter, and more sustainable building
materials can help solve many problems in construction and drive the current prac-
tices to be more sustainable. These materials have the added benefit of protecting
the environment by reducing the carbon footprint and promote a cleaner Earth while
being aesthetically appealing.
Civil engineers play a decisive role in designing, constructing, and ensuring a
sustainable future by bridging the gap between science and society. In this role, engi-
neers are required to actively promote and participate with multidisciplinary teams
within their professional obligation to extend their knowledge base and be a part
of the policy decisions at all levels. This first international conference, held during
June 3–4, 2021, achieved its aims by establishing a knowledge sharing platform
regarding clean technologies and sustainable construction materials for achieving
the transition from conventional to sustainable construction practices. Out of a total
of 170 participants who attended this conference, about 100 were experts in field
of construction materials from different areas, including academicians, field engi-
neers, and researchers apart from practitioners and students. The conference has
created exchange of thoughts and paved way for new ideas among participants from
various sectors through sharing of concepts, theory, methodology, and application
from various disciplines about developing and implementing sustainable construction
materials and attaining sustainable environment.
v
vi Preface
There were deliberations on new initiatives in the fields of advance materials and
methods, geotechnics and geoenvironmentally sustainable materials, bio-inspired
engineering materials, and developments in transportation and urban planning. This
exposed the participants to the developed and progressive strategies with optimal
utilization of available resources for developing the materials and methods and
consolidating the suggestions. Key recommendations were made during the confer-
ence for field applications. This further led to disseminating the knowledge on the
conference themes.
We do hope that this book will create awareness and appreciation among academi-
cians, scientists, researchers, and practitioners from various disciplines and sectors
about the need and the new initiatives toward development of sustainable construc-
tion materials and environment. The comments and suggestions from the readers and
users of this book are most welcome.
vii
Contents
ix
x Contents
xvii
xviii About the Editors
1 Introduction
2 Biochar Production
(TLUD) gasifiers are developed to produce biochar, and TLUD gasifier cookstoves
are being promoted in developing countries to be safe and beneficial.
The feedstock could be any biodegradable products, wastes, or residues. The
common feedstocks include agricultural residues such as corn cobs, corn stover, rice
and peanut hulls, and animal manure; yard wastes such as tree bark and wood chips;
animal wastes such as poultry litter, cat litter, and livestock manure; industrial wastes
such as paper mill sludge; municipal solid wastes; and by-products from bioenergy
such as defatted dried distiller grains [1]. Although biochar can be produced from
almost any type of biomass, the yield and properties of biochar vary drastically
based on the feedstock and also on the production process. Therefore, hundreds of
different types of biochars are possible depending on the combinations of feedstock
and production process conditions used.
The physical and chemical properties of biochar are dictated by the feedstock used
and the production process conditions. The most common physical properties include
moisture content, specific gravity, dry density, bulk density, particle size distribution,
porosity, and surface area. The chemical properties of interest include CHN elemental
composition, pH/OP/EC, organic matter, volatile matter, ash content, fixed carbon
content, zeta potential, inorganic metals content, and organic chemicals (PAHs,
PCBs, etc.) content. Generally, increase in pyrolysis temperature is shown to result
biochar with high specific surface area, high carbon and nitrogen contents, and low
hydrogen and oxygen contents [1]. The biochars made from the same feedstock but
using different production conditions are shown to exhibit significant different phys-
ical and chemical properties [3, 4]. Some biochars contain significant quantities of
toxic metals and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are not desirable for
use in engineering applications [5].
For instance, Yargicoglu et al. [3] reported physical and chemical properties of
waste-wood-derived biochars produced commercially by different vendors (Fig. 1).
These biochars had various particle sizes ranging from powder form to pellets. The
porosity of these biochars varied between 30 and 55%, and the mean particle size
ranged from 0.2 to 7 mm. Biochars are lightweight with specific gravity mostly less
than 1. Biochars have high intrinsic porosity and high specific surface area. These
biochars have low ash content and higher fixed carbon. Biochars are also character-
ized with high organic matter content as they are produced from the biomass. The
pH of the wood-derived biochars can range from 6.2 to 8.7. Some biochars may have
elevated polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as they are produced during incom-
plete combustion of biomass [3]. Since PAHs are highly toxic in nature, biochars
should be selected with due consideration before any field application. In addition to
PAHs, biochars may also contain toxic metals whose leachability could be a concern
in environmental applications. Higher PAHs and trace metals have been associated
with lower H:C ratios (extent of carbonization) and high ash content. In the study
by Yargicoglu et al. [3], PAHs were below detection limit for wood-derived biochars
produced via gasification. Biochars are commonly characterized with high cation
exchange capacity (CEC), partly due to their negative surface charge and resultant
affinity for soil cations including heavy metals (such as Pb2+ , Cr3+ ) [1].
4 Engineering/Geotechnical Properties
5 Biochar Applications
Biochars have been commonly used in agriculture for improving the soil’s fertility
and crop yield [2]. The unique properties of biochar such as long-term stability or
recalcitrance, high internal porosity, and high moisture and nutrient retention make
Use of Biochar for Sustainable Environmental Remediation 5
The wastewater may contain wide range of contaminants including nutrients such as
N, P, and K which when discharged to local water bodies may cause eutrophication
and affect aquatic ecosystem. The high surface area and sorptive capacity of biochar
make it a suitable adsorbent for nutrients including N, P, and K. Biochar has shown
promising N and P recovery efficiencies from wastewater. Combining magnesium
oxide (MgO) with biochar has shown to improve N and P recoveries from wastewater
by biochar sorption and struvite precipitation mechanisms [9, 10]. Increasing the
MgO and biochar mixing ratios has shown significant improvement in N and P
6 K. R. Reddy and J. K. Chetri
removal efficiencies. The mixing of MgO with biochar (1:10 by weight) resulted
in nearly 100% removal of P and 50% removal of N. The exhausted biochar after
nutrient adsorption is shown to be an excellent fertilizer for plant growth. Hence,
biochar and MgO mixture serves as an excellent adsorbent for recovery of nutrient
(N and P) from wastewater. In addition, mixture of biochar and struvite has good
nutrient qualities and can be directly used as potential fertilizer [10].
Stormwaters are the most common non-point source of water pollution to rivers,
lakes, estuaries, and beaches. Urban stormwater runoffs may carry a wide range of
contaminants endangering the surface water bodies. Beach closures are becoming
a growing concern due to the presence of pathogens, harmful microorganisms, and
other pollutants in stormwater runoffs that can cause serious public health problems.
Contaminants mainly include nutrients (N and P), heavy metals, PAHs, as well as
pathogens such as E. Coli. Use of filtration system has become a popular choice
in urban setting due to its ability to remove suspended and dissolved pollutants in
a smaller footprint without requirement of huge space. Reddy et al. [11] proposed
an in-ground permeable reactive filter system to treat mixed contaminants in urban
stormwater runoff. Biochar was tested as one of the potential filter media for the
permeable reactive barrier [11]. Column tests were performed with biochar to eval-
uate its removal potential for mixed contaminants from stormwater. The results illus-
trated that the biochar could remove total suspended solids and nitrate by 86% and
phosphate by 47%. Similarly, biochar was successful in removing some PAHs like
phenanthrene and naphthalene. In addition, biochar was able to remove pathogens
like E. Coli. Hence, biochar has potential to be an effective medium for the treatment
of selected contaminants found in stormwater.
(T7), EDTA + Igepal CA-720 (T8), Compost + EDTA (T9), and Compost + Igepal
CA 720. Sunflower showed improved germination, survival, and growth with biochar
amendment. The biochar amendment also showed removal potential for metals like
Cd and Pb and PAHs. Overall, biochar is shown great potential to create favorable
conditions for the seed germination and plant growth, thereby creating favorable
conditions for contaminant stabilization or degradation.
Municipal solid waste landfills are the third-largest source of anthropogenic methane
emissions in the USA, contributing about 15.1% of these emissions in 2019. Methane
is flammable gas and can pose explosion hazard if present between its lower explosive
limit of 5% (v/v) and upper explosive limit of 15% (v/v). Methane is a highly potent
greenhouse gas and an asphyxiant. In modern engineered landfills, gas collection
system is installed to capture landfill gas emissions. However, the efficiency of the
gas collection system is affected by various factors such as gas production rates,
climatic conditions such as precipitation, and temperatures and local site conditions,
and hence, the gas collection efficiency is found to be about 60%, which increases the
likelihood of fugitive emissions. In addition, it is not practically and economically
feasible to install gas collection systems at old and abandoned landfills, and therefore,
fugitive emissions is a major issue at such landfills. In the recent years, organics
rich biocovers have emerged as environment friendly and sustainable alternative to
mitigate fugitive landfill emissions through microbial oxidation process. Landfill
cover soils have microorganisms which can oxidize methane to carbon dioxide in
the presence of oxygen (Fig. 2). Recently, biochar has garnered attention for use as
an organic amendment for biocover to enhance microbial methane oxidation due to
its unique properties such as high long-term stability, high internal porosity, high
moisture retention, high adsorption potential for methane, and ability to enhance
microbial colonization [13–16].
Various laboratory batch and column incubation studies as well as field scale
testing showed significantly higher methane sorption and oxidation rates and effi-
ciencies in biochar-amended soil under landfill gas conditions [14, 15, 17, 18].
The biochar-amended soils were inhabited by methane-oxidizing microbes such as
methanotrophs. Methanotrophic genera such as Methylobacter, Methylocystis, and
Methylosinus were found in abundance in the biochar-amended soils [16]. Biochar
is an inert material; hence, it does not perform microbial oxidation by itself but helps
to enhance the microbial activity by creating conducive environment for microbial
proliferation. Recently, attempts have been made to improve the performance of
biochar-amended soil by activating the biochar with methane-oxidizing bacterial
(MOB) consortium before amending the soil [19]. Biochar activation showed very
high methane oxidation rates alleviating the initial lag phase which is generally
encountered upon busing biochar-amended soil due to microbial acclimation phase.
Biochar activation not only helped to reduce the initial lag phase but also enhanced
the microbial methane oxidation rates (Fig. 3). Hence, biochar activation appears
to be a promising technique to shorten the microbial lag phase and enhance the
microbial methane oxidation in biochar-amended landfill cover soils.
500
Soil
CH4 Oxidation Rates (µ g/g/day)
Soil + 2% Biochar
Soil + 10% Biochar
400
Soil + 2% Activated Biochar
Soil + 10% Activated Biochar
300
200
100
0
il ar ar r r
So ch ch ha ha
Bio Bio ioc ioc
tB tB
2 %
10
% Ac Ac
il+ il+ 2% %
So So il+ 10
So il+
So
Fig. 3 Methane oxidation rates of soil, non-activated biochar-amended soils, and activated biochar-
amended soils
Use of Biochar for Sustainable Environmental Remediation 9
7 Conclusion
References
1. Xie, T., Reddy, K. R., Wang, C., Yargicoglu, E., & Spokas, K. (2015). Characteristics and appli-
cations of biochar for environmental remediation: A review. Critical Reviews in Environment
Science and Technology, 45(9), 939–969. https://doi.org/10.1080/10643389.2014.924180
2. Xie, T., Sadasivam, B. Y., Reddy, K. R., Wang, C., & Spokas, K. (2016). Review of the effects
of biochar amendment on soil properties and carbon sequestration. J Hazard Toxic Radioact
Waste, 20(1), 04015013. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)HZ.2153-5515.0000293
3. Yargicoglu, E., Sadasivam, B. Y., Reddy, K. R., & Spokas, K. (2015). Physical and chemical
characterization of waste wood derived biochars. Waste Management, 36(2), 256–268. https://
doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2014.10.029
4. Yargicoglu, E. N., & Reddy, K.R. (2015). Characterization and surface analysis of commercially
available biochars for geoenvironmental applications. In: International Foundations Congress
and Equipment Expo (IFCEE) 2015, ASCE, San Antonio, TX, pp. 2637–2646. https://doi.org/
10.1061/9780784479087.245
5. Yargicoglu, E. N., & Reddy, K. R. (2014). Evaluation of PAH and metal contents of different
biochars for use in climate change mitigation systems. In: International Conference on Sustain-
able Infrastructure, Long Beach, CA, November 6–8, ASCE, Reston, VA. https://doi.org/10.
1061/9780784478745.011
6. Sadasivam, B. Y., & Reddy, K. R. (2015). Engineering properties of waste-wood derived
biochars and biochar-amended soils. Int J Geotech, 9(5), 521–535. https://doi.org/10.1179/
1939787915Y.0000000004
7. Reddy, K. R., Yaghoubi, P., & Yukselen-Aksoy, Y. (2015). Effects of biochar amendment on
geotechnical properties of landfill cover soil. Waste Manag Res, 33(6), 524–532. https://doi.
org/10.1177/0734242X15580192
8. Kumar, G., Yepes, J. E., Hoyos, L. R., & Reddy, K. R. (2017). Unsaturated hydraulic properties
of biochar and biochar-amended soils for landfill covers. In: PanAm-UNSAT 2017: The Second
Pan-American Conference on Unsaturated Soils. ASCE Press. https://doi.org/10.1061/978078
4481691.041
9. Xie, T., Reddy, K. R., Wang, C., Xu, K. (2014). Effects of amendment of biochar produced from
woody biomass on soil quality and crop yield. In: K. R. Reddy, S. Feng (Eds.), Geotechnical
10 K. R. Reddy and J. K. Chetri
Abstract This paper summarizes the main results of a broader research activity
aimed at facilitating the use of gravel-rubber mixtures (GRMs) in geotechnical engi-
neering applications. Precisely, the results of direct shear tests carried out on three
GRMs having different aspect ratios (AR = 0.28, 0.57, and 0.66) and prepared at
different volumetric rubber contents (VRC = 0, 10, 25, 40, and 100%) are reported
and discussed. Additionally, an original 3D hybrid DEM numerical model (named
DEM4GRM model) for rigid-soft particle mixtures is presented, and its performance
is evaluated. Lastly, using newly proposed micromechanical equations, factors such
as fabric and force anisotropy, and strong-force chains are systematically examined
throughout the shearing process to gain insight on the particle-level behavior of
mixtures with varying VRC.
1 Introduction
[7] and the need to design more seismic resilient structures [8], the recycling of
tire-derived aggregates (TDAs) mixed with granular soils to produce lightweight
fill materials with excellent mechanical and energy adsorption properties is of great
significance [9].
A comprehensive literature review compiled by Tasalloti et al. [10] has shown that
much of the previous research on granular mixtures has focused on the mechanical
characterization of sand-rubber mixtures. Yet, in the selection of the soil type and
recycled rubber size to form soil-rubber mixtures for use in geotechnical applica-
tions, the availability and the cost efficiency of both materials should be carefully
considered [11]. In fact, to avoid inherent segregation of binary mixtures made of
large and small particles [12, 13], the recycled rubber should be cut into smaller
(sand size-like) pieces when mixed with sandy soils, which unavoidably increases
the implementation costs. Consequently, as an alternative, the use of gravel-rubber
mixtures (GRMs) has been increasingly recommended by researchers [14–20].
Nevertheless, compared to sand-rubber mixtures, the mechanical behavior of
GRMs is still largely unknown. Therefore, as a part of a research activity aimed at
facilitating, the use of GRMs is geotechnical applications in New Zealand [9, 15, 18,
20, 21], two subsequent steps were undertaken by the authors: (i) a number of direct
shear investigations were carried out on three gravel-granulated rubber composites
mixed at volumetric rubber content (VRC) of 0, 10, 25, 40 and 100% to evaluate
the combined effects of VRC, aspect ratio (AR = D50,R /D50,G ) and applied normal
stress on the strength properties of GRMs; and (ii) a novel three-dimensional hybrid
discrete element method model (named DEM4GRM) able to accurately describes
the macromechanical direct shear response of rigid-soft particle mixtures was devel-
oped. Moreover, ad hoc equations defining key micromechanical features of such
synthetic materials throughout the shearing processes were established for GRMs.
In this paper, experimental findings are first summarized. Then, the new DEM4GRM
model [22] is briefly introduced and simulation results are shown. Finally, using the
newly proposed equations, microscale aspects such as fabric and force anisotropy and
strong-force chains are scrutinized throughout the shearing process and compared
among mixtures with varying VRC.
2 Experimental Study
a b
100
Percentage passing (%)
Gravel
Tire Rubber
75 R1
R2
50 R3
25
0
0.1 1 10
Particle size (mm)
Fig. 1 a Particle size distribution curves and b photographic images of the gravel and granulated
recycled tire rubber used in this study
3.74 mm), medium (R2, D50 = 3.23 mm), and small (R3, D50 = 1.61 mm). Figure 1
shows the particle size distribution curves and photographic images of each material.
The material properties are listed in Table 1. The aspect ratio of the mixtures is G-R1
(AR = 0.66), G-R2 (AR = 0.57), and G-R3 (AR = 0.28). The GRMs were prepared at
volumetric rubber contents (VRC) of 0, 10, 25, 40, and 100%, where VRC is defined
as the ratio between the volume of rubber and the total volume of solids.
All specimens were tested in dry conditions and prepared at a degree of compaction
of 90–95% (by dry tamping method), which was calculated based on the values of
maximum dry density (ρ max —obtained by standard proctor compaction tests). For
completeness, the minimum dry density (ρ min ) was also determined by carefully
pouring the materials in the compaction mold with zero depositional height. Note
that vibratory table tests were found not effective to obtain ρ max for GRMs. This is
obviously in contrast to the response of typical hard-grained stiff granular materials
for which vibratory compaction is most effective [23], but it can be attributed to the
high energy absorption nature of the rubber particles in the mixtures.
The materials investigated in this study are essentially binary granular mixtures
consisting of rigid and soft particles of different size and shape. Their packing,
density, and mechanical behavior are influenced by the inherent properties of the
materials (i.e., size and shape), the proportion as well as the size ratio of large/small
and rigid/soft particles in the total volume of solids.
The variation of dry density (ρ d ) is shown in Fig. 2 for G-R1 and G-R3 mixtures. As
the rubber particles are much lighter than the gravel grains (i.e., the Gs of gravel grains
is more than twice than that of rubber particles), both the minimum and maximum
dry densities of GRMs decrease almost linearly by increasing VRC. However, at
VRC ≤ 40%, the dry density values of G-R3 are slightly above the linear trends.
This is due to the fact that at lower VRC, small rubber particles can occupy the voids
between large gravel grains (Fig. 2b) which results in an increase of the density state
of the mixtures [12, 13]. In contrast, because the size of R1 particles is almost similar
to that of the gravel, the rubber particles cannot fit in the voids between the gravel
grains, even at lower VRC, but rather their replace the gravel grains in the mixtures
(Fig. 2b).
2.0
Dry density, ρd (g/cm3)
1.0
ρd, min
0.5
R1
R3 (a)
0.0
0 25 50 75 100
VRC (%)
Fig. 2 Variation of a minimum and maximum dry density; and b idealized illustration of volume-
biased packing of GRMs for VRC = 20 and 40%
Macro and microscale Engineering Response … 15
60 60 60
30 30 30
6 6 6
VRC (%) 0 10 25 40 100
4 4 4
2 2 2
0 0 0
Fig. 3 G-R2 behavior in direct shear tests at 30, 60, and 100 kPa normal stress
16 G. Chiaro et al.
60
(kPa)
150 G-R1 (AR = 0.66)
G-R2 (AR = 0.57) G-R1 (AR = 0.66)
G-R3 (AR = 0.28) G-R2 (AR = 0.57)
120
max
'()
45 G-R3 (AR = 0.28)
o
n
= 100 kPa
Maximum shear stress,
90 = 60 kPa
Friction angle,
n
= 30 kPa 30
n
60
Min ' required for structural fill
materials in most geotechnical
15
30 applications
(a) (b)
0 0
0 20 40 60 80 100 0 20 40 60 80 100
VRC (%) VRC (%)
Fig. 4 a Maximum shear stress and b friction angle of GRMs in direct shear tests
2.3.1 Compressibility
Despite the adequate strength of GRMs, the ultimate adoption of GRMs as structural
fills in geotechnical application would depend also on their compressibility under
sustained loads. Typical results obtained for G-R1 and G-R3 by one-dimensional
compression tests with two-hour creep loading stages [21]. It is obvious that the
higher is the vertical stress applied on GRMs, the higher is the vertical strain devel-
oped, and the lower is the VRC that may be accepted in the mixtures to satisfy
compressibility requirements [18, 20]. Moreover, AR also plays a key role; in fact,
for any combination of VRC and vertical stress, it can be seen that the mixtures
Macro and microscale Engineering Response … 17
with small rubber particles (G-R3) experience large vertical strain as compared to
those with large rubber particles (G-R1). Therefore, to have GRMs with enhanced
compressibility, gravel and rubber particles with similar grain size should be used.
The discrete element method (DEM) is a very useful tool to investigate particle-level
interactions and develop a better understanding of the macro and micromechanical
behavior of granular matters [25]. Due to the granular and discrete nature of GRMs,
DEM is indeed an ideal numerical modeling method to investigate the micromechan-
ical behavior of such materials. Yet, the soft and low modulus nature of the rubber
particles challenge one of the fundamental hypothesis of DEM by particle rigidity.
Based on this hypothesis, contact forces are determined from the overlap between
contacting bodies but the particles do not deform [25]. While the rubber softness may
be accounted for by prescribing a low material stiffness, the volumetric behavior of
pure rubber (ν rubber = 0.5) cannot be replicated easily in DEM using the particle
rigidity method.
To address this issue, Asadi et al. [26] implemented a deformable agglomerate
to model more accurate changes in the shape (deformation) of rubber particles by
using weak internal bonds between tire rubber particles, allowing the spheres within
a cluster to move and rearrange. In the following, Ren et al. [27] implemented
a deformable single rubber particle model that is able to describe the volumetric
behavior of rubber. It has been indicated that with sufficient rows of bonded spheres
packed in a body-centered cubic (BCC) arrangement, this model can consistently
and precisely capture the strength and volumetric response of a single rubber particle
as the nonlinear mechanical behavior of rubber is described by a piecewise linear
contact/bond model.
Taking advantage of both the well-established particle rigidity approach appli-
cable to rigid gravel grains and the possibility to capture the soft rubber behavior using
18 G. Chiaro et al.
BCC deformable particles, in this study, a 3D hybrid DEM model for GRMs (called
DEM4GRM model) was developed using the particle flow code three-dimensional
program (PFC3D, version 6.1 [28]). Such model makes it possible to explore the
micromechanical direct shear behavior of GRMs under varying VRC and normal
stress levels.
The framework in PFC3D is based on the DEM formulation by Cundall and
Strack [29], where an explicit numerical scheme is used to monitor the interaction
of particles individually and its corresponding contacts with neighboring particles.
Moreover, based on the particle rigidity approach, contact forces are evaluated from
the overlap between contacting bodies but the particles do not deform [25]. In this
study, the Hertz-Mindlin contact law [30] was used to define the particle interaction
at each contact. It is based on a nonlinear contact force-overlap relationship. The
DEM4GRM model input parameters defining the contacts are provided in Table 2. As
the gravel and rubber particles have different engineering properties, the surface prop-
erty inheritance functionality in PFC3D [28] was used to determine hybrid contact
properties between the gravel and rubber particles.
tire rubber particles as shown in Fig. 6b. Full details of the proposed single rubber
particle model are available from Chew [32].
Due to the gravel particles size and shape variability, gravel grains were modeled
using a simple clump shapes (Fig. 6c) as those considered by Garzia and Bray [33].
The GRM specimens were generated using the overlapping method [28, 34] based
on the particle size distribution of gravel and large rubber particles (R1) used in the
laboratory experiments (Fig. 1). The specimens were quasi-statically compressed
until reaching the required target degree of compaction. The normal stress was applied
to the specimens by means of a force applied on the top plate. In the following, the
specimens were sheared by moving the lower box at a rate of 0.002 m/s (to maintain
quasi-static condition). Frictionless lateral walls were adopted to minimize k 0 effects.
Figure 6d shows a typical DEM specimen obtained for VRC = 40%.
The model parameters for the reference materials were determined by simulating
the gravel (VRC = 0%) and rubber (VRC = 100%) behavior in direct shear tests
and fitting the shear and volumetric response that best match the experimental direct
shear results. No additional model parameters were defined for mixtures with VRC
= 10, 25, and 40%, but rather the shear and volumetric trends in the simulations
were merely defined by the proportion of gravel and rubber particles in the mixtures
and the normal stress level applied on the specimens.
In Fig. 7a, b, typical DEM simulation results are presented for gravel and granulated
rubber specimens, respectively, sheared at σ n = 30, 60, and 100 kPa. It can be
seen that irrespective of the stress level, there is a very good agreement with the
experimental tests results, both in terms of stress and volumetric behaviors.
Moreover, the results obtained for GRMs sheared at σ n = 100 kPa are reported
in Fig. 7c. Despite no explicit model parameters were defined for the mixtures, there
is a good agreement with the experimental tests results, being the model capable
of capturing key futures of dilative (rigid gravel-like) and compressive (soft rubber-
like) mixture responses with varying VRC. Yet, while the stress response is perfectly
described, the volumetric response appears to be slightly overpredicted, although the
trends are correct (i.e., showing a more contractive behavior with increasing VRC).
Macro and microscale Engineering Response … 21
160 160
(a-1) VRC = 0% (b-1) VRC = 100%
80 80
40 40
0 0
6 6
4 4 Normal stress, n
(kPa)
Exp. DEM
30 kPa
2 2 60 kPa
Normal stress, (kPa)
n 100 kPa
Exp. DEM
0 30 kPa 0
60 kPa
100 kPa
-2 -2
0 4 8 12 16 0 4 8 12 16
Horizontal displacement, H (mm) Horizontal displacement, H (mm)
160 6
Vertical displacement, V (mm)
120 4 25%
40%
80 2
40 0
0 -2
0 4 8 12 16 0 4 8 12 16
Horizontal displacement, H (mm)
Fig. 7 DEM4GRM simulation results for: a gravel specimens; b granulated rubber specimens; and
c G-R1 specimens
22 G. Chiaro et al.
The methodology proposed by Rothenburg and Bathurst [35] was used to quantify
the fabric and force anisotropy in the DEM4GRM model simulations during shearing
with some modifications in line with the latest research outcomes (e.g., [36]). A curve
fitting approach using second-order Fourier series yielded the following expressions
that best describe the (polar) distribution of different contact types considered in this
study. The shape of the distribution of the contact vector—fabric can be approximated
using the harmonic function:
{1 + a cos 2(θ − θa )}
E(θ ) = (2.1)
2π
o
where f n is the average contact normal force, an is the parameter describing the
anisotropy of the contact normal force component, and θn is the direction of the
maximum average normal forces. The expressions in Eqs. (2.1) and (2.2) are found
to be similar to those used by Rothenburg and Bathurst [35].
The following expression was proposed to best approximate the tangential force
distribution for the GRMs considered in this study:
o
f t (θ ) = f t {1 + at cos 4(θ − θt )} (2.3)
o
where f t is the average contact shear force, at is the parameter describing the
anisotropy of the contact tangential force component, and θt defines the direction
of the peak contact shear force. Note that this expression differs to that reported by
Rothenburg and Bathurst [35], by which the tangential force approaches zero between
the peaks. This is due to the fact that Rothenburg and Bathurst [35] considered perfect
spheres whereas in this study clumps were used. The interlocking effects introduced
by the clumps give rise to “background” tangential forces that are randomly orien-
tated, and thus, the tangential forces do not diminish along orthogonal planes. The
resultant tangential force distribution is akin to a superposition of an isotropic “back-
ground” tangential forces (Eq. 3), which forms a slightly different distribution to that
observed by Rothenburg and Bathurst [35].
Macro and microscale Engineering Response … 23
Figure 8 shows the comparison between polar histograms of the fabric, normal
force and tangential force distribution at different shearing stages obtained by the
proposed approximation functions, and DEM simulations for GRMs (VRC = 25%
at σ n = 60 kPa). For inclusiveness, the variation during the shearing process of the
force anisotropy coefficients (a, an , and at ) is also reported. Although not presented
here, it is important to mention that very similar trends were obtained at 30 and 100
kPa normal stress.
Generally, the fabric of the rubber (VRC = 100%) specimens is significantly
different from that of the gravel (VRC = 0%) and that of the mixtures look like one
or the other depending on the VRC content. Specifically, at VRC = 40%, the trends
in a, an , and at begin to be similar to that of VRC = 100%, suggesting that the
soft-like rubber-dominated behavior is expected for the mixtures with VRC ≥ 40%.
Contrarily, the peaks in a, an , and at coefficients trends during shearing are obvious
up to VRC = 25%, suggesting that rigid-like gravel-dominated behavior is expected
for the mixtures with VRC ≤ 25%. This was confirmed by the analysis of the force
network as described in the next section.
1.0 VRC
0%
10%
0.8
25%
40%
0.6 100%
a
0.4
0.2 (a)
0 4 8 12 16
Horizontal displacement, H (mm)
1.2 Coeff. of normal force anisotropy, an
1.0
0.8
0.6
an
0.4
0.2
(b)
0.0
0 4 8 12 16
Horizontal displacement, H (mm)
1.2 Coeff. of tangential force anisotropy, a
t
1.0
n
= 60 kPa
0.8
0.6
at
0.4
0.2
(c)
0.0
0 4 8 12 16 (d)
Horizontal displacement, H (mm)
Fig. 8 Variation of force anisotropy coefficients with VRC at 60 kPa normal stress: a contact force;
b normal force; c tangential force; and d polar histograms (VRC =25%)
24 G. Chiaro et al.
25
0
0 20 40 60 80 100
VRC (%)
It has been well established that the contact network can be separated into two cate-
gories: the strong force network and the weak force network [37]. The strong force
network consists of contact forces greater than the average force in the assembly and
represents the load-bearing force chains that form during shearing and is responsible
for the fabric and force anisotropy observed [36, 38, 39].
Figure 9 reports a typical distribution of the amount of gravel-gravel (g-g), gravel-
rubber (g-r), and rubber-rubber (r-r) contacts participating in the strong force network
for various GRMs. It can be observed that the proportion of r-r contacts in the
strong force network is irrelevant up to VRC = 25–30%, and more than half of
the strong contacts are g-g contacts. From VRC = 25% onward, the proportion of
strong r-r contacts increases significantly while the proportion of strong g-g force
chains decrease rapidly. At VRC = 40%, both the r-r and g-g contacts carry an
equal proportion of the strong contacts. Yet, the strong forces chains are primarily
transmitted via the g-r contacts, giving rise to an intermediate behavior where the
specimen displays primarily a dilative behavior during shearing. The peak shear
stress is also less pronounced. Above VRC = 60%, r-r contacts sustain most of the
strong-force chains in the assembly.
5 Concluding Remarks
In this paper, the results of direct shear tests carried out on gravel-rubber mixtures
(GRMs)—having different aspect ratios (AR = 0.28, 0.57, and 0.66), prepared at
different volumetric rubber contents (VRC = 0, 10, 25, 40, and 100%) and sheared at
30, 60, and 100 kPa normal stress—were reported and discussed. Moreover, an orig-
inal 3D hybrid DEM numerical model for rigid-soft particle mixtures was presented,
Macro and microscale Engineering Response … 25
and its performance was assessed. Finally, using newly proposed constitutive equa-
tions, microscale factors such as fabric, force anisotropy, and strong force chains
were systematically examined throughout the shearing process to gain insight on the
micromechanical behavior of mixtures with varying VRC.
The following main conclusions can be drawn from this study:
Macroscale
(i) Irrespective of the applied normal stress level and rubber particle size (or
aspect ratio, AR), the response of GRMs changed rapidly from dilative-like to
contractive-like with the addition of rubber in the mixtures;
(ii) Independently from AR, the friction angle (φ ) was found to be between 54°
(gravel) and 29° (rubber) indicating that the majority of GRMs are suitable
structural fill materials for most geotechnical applications (φ ≥ 30°);
(iii) The ultimate adoption of GRMs in geotechnical application depends also on
their compressibility that may limit the VRC in the mixtures, especially when
small rubber particles (or aspect ratios) are used to form GRMs%;
(iv) From an environmental viewpoint, the use of GRMs with large rubber particle
(free from steel wires) is desirable since it would minimize the leaching of
toxic metals (e.g., Zn) from granulated rubber.
Microscale
(v) Micro fabric and force anisotropy generally decreased with increasing VRC,
following a similar pathway observed for the macroscale strength behavior;
(vi) Based on the strong force network analysis, three distinct behavioral zones
were identified for GRMs:
• gravel-like rigid behavior zone: VRC ≤ 30%;
• intermediate behavior/transition zone: 30% < VRC < 60%; and
• rubber-like soft behavior zone: VRC ≥ 60%.
It is important to mention that the above is valid for the level of normal stress
considered in this study. In fact, at higher stress levels, the rubber-like behavior
could become more predominant even at lower VRC levels.
Acknowledgements The authors would like to acknowledge the research support provided by
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment of New Zealand (MBIE Smart Ideas Research
Grant No. 56289). The laboratory assistance provided by Dr Sean Rees is greatly appreciated. The
views and opinion expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect
those of MBIE.
References
1. Arulrajah, A., Narsilio, G., Kodikara, J., & Orense, R. P. (2015). Key issues in environmental
geotechnics: Australia-New Zealand. Environmental Geotechnics, 6, 326–330.
26 G. Chiaro et al.
2. Chiaro, G., Indraratna, B., Tasalloti, S. M. A., & Rujikiatkamjorn, C. (2015). Optimisation of
coal wash–slag blend as a structural fill. Ground Improvement, 168(1), 33–44.
3. Tasalloti, S. M. A., Indraratna, B., Rujikiatkamjorn, C., Heitor, A., & Chiaro, G. (2015). A
laboratory study on the shear behavior of mixtures of coal wash and steel furnace slag as
potential structural fill. Geotechnical Testing Journal, 38(4), 361–372.
4. Mashiri, M. S., Vinod, J. S., Sheich, M. N., & Tsang, H. H. (2015). Shear strength and dilatancy
behaviour of sand–tyre chip mixtures. Soils and Foundations, 55(3), 517–528.
5. Qi, Y., Indraratna, B., & Twak, M. (2020). Use of recycled rubber elements in track stabilisation.
Geotechnical Special Publication, GSP 319, 49–59.
6. Ghorbani, B., Arulrajah, A., Narsilio, G., Horpibulsuk, S., & Bo, M. W. (2021). Dynamic
characterization of recycled glass-recycled concrete blends using experimental analysis and
artificial neural network modeling. Soil Dynamic Earthquake Engineering 142, 106544.
7. Ministry for the Environment. (2015). Waste tyres economic research. Report 3, pp. 87.
8. Hernandez, E., Palermo, A., Granello, G., Chiaro, G., & Banasiak, L. (2020). Eco-rubber
seismic isolation foundation systems, a sustainable solution for New Zealand context. Structural
Engineering International, 30(2), 192–200.
9. Chiaro, G., Tasalloti, A., Banasiak, L., Palermo, A., Granello, G., & Rees, S. (2020). Sustainable
recycling of end-of-life tyres in civil (geotechnical) engineering applications: Turning issues
into opportunities in the New Zealand context. New Zealand Geomechanical News, 99, 38–47.
10. Tasalloti, A., Chiaro, G., Murali, A., & Banasiak, L. (2021). Physical and mechanical properties
of granulated rubber mixed with granular soils—a literature review. Sustainability, 13(8), 1–28,
4309.
11. Hazarika, H., & Abdullah, A. (2016). Improvement effects of two and three dimensional
geosynthetics used in liquefaction countermeasures. Japan Geotechnical Society Special
Publication, 2(68), 2336–2341.
12. Kim, H. K., & Santamarina, J. C. (2008). Sand-rubber mixtures (large rubber chips). Canadian
Geotechnical Journal, 45, 1457–1466.
13. Lee, J. S., Doods, J., & Santamarina, J. C. (2007). Behavior of rigid-soft particle mixtures.
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, 19(2), 179–184.
14. Pasha, S. M. K., Hazarika, K., & Yoshimoto, N. (2019). Physical and mechanical properties of
gravel-tire chips mixture (GTCM). Geosynthetics International, 26(1), 92–110.
15. Chiaro, G., Palermo, A., Banasiak, L. J., & Granello, G. (2019). Direct shear behaviour
of gravel-granulated tyre rubber mixtures. In: Proceedings of 13th ANZ Geomechanical
Conference, Perth, Australia, 221–226.
16. Hazarika, H., Pasha, S. M. K., Ishibashi, I., Yoshimoto, N., Kinoshita, T., Endo, S., Karmokar,
A. K., & Hitosugi, T. (2020). Tire-chip reinforced foundation as liquefaction countermeasure
for residential buildings. Soils and Foundations, 60(2), 315–326.
17. Balaji, P. Dashti, S., & Liel, A. B. (2020). In-ground gravel–rubber panel walls to miti-
gate and base isolate shallow-founded structures on liquefiable ground. Journal Geotech-
nical Geoenvironmental Engineering, 146(9). https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.
0002310
18. Tasalloti, A., Chiaro, G., Banasaik, L., & Palermo, A. (2021). Experimental investigation of the
mechanical behaviour of gravel-granulated tyre rubber mixtures. Construction and Building
Matererials, 273, 127149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2020.121749
19. Pitilakis, D., Anastasiadis, A., Vratsikidis, A., Kapouniaris, A., Massimino, M. R., Abate, G., &
Corsico, S. (2021). Large-scale field testing of geotechnical seismic isolation of structures using
gravel-rubber mixtures. Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics. https://doi.org/10.
5281/zenodo.4557538
20. Tasalloti, A., Chiaro, G., Palermo, A., & Banasiak, L. J. (2020). Effect of rubber crumbs
volumetric content on the shear strength of gravelly soil in direct shear apparatus. Geotechnical
Special Publications GSP, 319, 259–266.
21. Chiaro, G., Palermo, A., Granello, G., Tasalloti, A., & Banasiak, L. J. (2021). Reuse of waste
tires to develop eco-rubber seismic-isolation foundation systems: Preliminary results. Lecture
Notes in Civil Engineering, 144, 159–169.
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
Sergeant Montgomery, of the prison. Brock made no effort to secure
counsel, or to summon any witnesses, but merely expressed a
desire to have his uncle sell his land, a tract of two hundred acres
owned by him in Coffee County, Ala., and turn the proceeds over to
his mother.
On the 16th of October, by appointment, the U. S. District
Attorney, A. M. Lea, Col. J. H. Neville, Special Counsel employed by
the Government to assist in the trial, and the express officials, who
were familiar with the facts, all met at Jackson, Miss., to arrange for
the approaching trial of L. C. Brock and Rube Smith. All of these
gentlemen called in company upon Brock, in his cell at the
penitentiary, and District Attorney Lea told Brock if he had any
witnesses he desired summoned he would have subpœnas issued,
and that he was free to choose as to whether he would plead guilty
or employ counsel. Brock then and there reiterated his determination
to plead guilty, so frequently made prior to that time to the author,
and said he had no money, and did not intend to employ any
counsel. He said he was willing to testify against Smith, but
remarked:
“What will people think of me for doing that—see how the world
looks upon Bob Ford?”
When told that all fair-minded and Christian people would
applaud him for standing on the side of honesty and truth, he added:
“Well, the Bible does not give Judas Iscariot a very fair name.”
And so it was easily discovered that the ill-fated criminal was
battling against opposing ideas. On the one hand he was confronted
with the certainty of conviction and an ignominious death at the
hands of the hangman, on the other life imprisonment, with the
added alternative of standing as a witness against his copartner in
crime and assisting to fasten guilt upon him. He had often said:
“I prefer death to imprisonment for life, for what is life without
liberty.”
On Saturday, the 8th of November, two days before his suicide,
he said to a fellow prisoner, whose hat was worn and old:
“You need a new hat; you may have mine Monday.”
Brock had evidently made up his mind, as indicated by these
remarks, to take his own life. About nine o’clock on the morning of
November 10, 1890, the day set for his trial, Detective Thomas
Jackson and United States Marshal Mathews went to the
penitentiary building to bring the prisoner to the Federal Court, as he
had been notified would be done. Sergeant Montgomery sent the
officer of the prison charged with the special surveillance of Brock to
bring him into his office, where the detective and marshal awaited
him. At night he was confined in one of the cells on the ground floor
of the prison, but was permitted to occupy during the day one of the
guard rooms situated on the third floor of the building. The prisoner
was in this room when the keeper went after him to bring him to the
sergeant’s office. Just as the keeper was in the act of unlocking the
door, Brock walked to the iron barred window of the room, and
beckoning to a fellow convict standing in the yard of the prison, threw
out of the window the following note:
All other rewards for Rube Burrow have been paid to Carter and
his associates. The rewards for Brock and Smith, excepting those
offered by the Government and the State of Mississippi, have also
been paid to the parties interested.
William Brock, of Texas, was in nowise related to L. C. Brock.
The two men never met, and that two of Burrow’s clansmen bore the
same name was merely a coincidence.
The question recurs, “Does train-robbing pay?”
Here were men whose untoward inclinings, fostered by evil
association, inflamed them with a passion for lawlessness. Their
brawny arms were uplifted against the laws of God and man for
ambition’s sake. They loved pillage for booty’s sake.
Behold the hapless fate of the five men who linked their fortunes
together, commencing with the date of the Genoa robbery in
December, 1887. William Brock, although sentenced to a short term
of imprisonment, will carry to his grave the stigma of an ex-convict.
Rube Smith has entered the gloomy portals of a prison, in which he
is doomed to spend the remaining days of his life—a fate more
horrible than death.
Rube Burrow, Jim Burrow and L. C. Brock lie in unhallowed
graves, their memories kept alive only by the recollection of their
atrocious deeds, leaving their kindred and friends to realize the bitter
truth that
1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also
govern what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most
countries are in a constant state of change. If you are outside
the United States, check the laws of your country in addition to
the terms of this agreement before downloading, copying,
displaying, performing, distributing or creating derivative works
based on this work or any other Project Gutenberg™ work. The
Foundation makes no representations concerning the copyright
status of any work in any country other than the United States.
1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form,
including any word processing or hypertext form. However, if
you provide access to or distribute copies of a Project
Gutenberg™ work in a format other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or
other format used in the official version posted on the official
Project Gutenberg™ website (www.gutenberg.org), you must, at
no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a copy, a
means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
request, of the work in its original “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other
form. Any alternate format must include the full Project
Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
• You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the
method you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The
fee is owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark,
but he has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to
the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty
payments must be paid within 60 days following each date on
which you prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your
periodic tax returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked
as such and sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
Foundation at the address specified in Section 4, “Information
about donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
Foundation.”
• You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works.
1.F.