Evaluation of Shear Strength Between Layers of Tire-Reinforced Walls Using Finite Element Models

This study evaluated the distribution of internal stresses between the tires-reinforced retaining walls (TRRW) layers when using different connectors between the filler layers. The results of this research, which involved finite element modeling (FEM) of large-scale direct shear tests in a laboratory, show that the use of connectors between layers of TRRW can increase the average shear strength between fill layers by 40% when there are confinements greater than 150 kPa. For confinements less than 150 kPa, the increase in shear strength between layers of TRRW is 19%. Importantly, it was found that the increase in shear strength is directly related to the shear strength of the connector, the number of connectors used between tires in the backfill, and the level of confinement. These key findings underscore connectors’ potential to enhance TRRW systems’ performance.