Substitute Building Materials in Geogrid-Reinforced Soil Structures

Abstract

The feasibility of substitute building materials (SBMs) in engineering applications was investigated within the project. A geogrid-reinforced soil structure (GRSS) was built using SBM as the fill material as well as vegetated soil for facing and on top of the construction. Four different SBMs were used as fill material, namely blast furnace slag (BFS), electric furnace slag (EFS), track ballast (TB), and recycled concrete (RC). For the vegetated soil facing, a mixture of either recycled brick (RB) material or crushed lightweight concrete (LC) mixed with organic soil was used. The soil mechanical and chemical parameters for all materials were determined and assessed. In the next step, a GRSS was built as a pilot application consisting of three geogrid layers with a total height of 1.5 m and a slope angle of 60°. The results of the soil mechanical tests indicate that the used fill materials are similar or even better than primary materials, such as gravel. The results of the chemical tests show that some materials are qualified to be used in engineering constructions without or with minor restrictions. Other materials need a special sealing layer to prevent the material from leakage. The vegetation on the mixed SBM material grew successfully. Several ruderal and pioneer plants could be found even in the first year of the construction. The porous material (RB and LC) provide additional water storage capacity for plants especially during summer and/or heat periods. With regard to the results of the chemical analyses of the greening layers, they are usable under restricted conditions. Here special treatment is necessary. Finally, it can be stated that SBMs are feasible in GRSS, particularly as fill material but also as a mixture for the greenable soil.

Life Cycle Assessment for Substitutive Building Materials Using the Example of the Vietnamese Road Sector

“…All secondary materials showed an increased pH value in the eluate-a phenomenon that has already been reported in the literature [84]. However, the measured values do not restrict their use as secondary building materials.…”

Sustainability in Geotechnics through the Use of Environmentally Friendly Materials

“…The use of recycled materials replacing the soils or natural quarry materials in geotechnical works was presented by various researchers [12][13][14][15][16]. Sustainable solutions using geosynthetics to prevent soil contamination [17,18], to treat the sludge generated in different industries and avoid ground contamination [19] and to reinforce alternative filling materials [12,16,20] are also discussed in the Special Issue.…”

“…Schwerdt et al [13] investigate the feasibility of using alternative materials, such as blast furnace slag (BFS), electric furnace slag (EFS), track ballast (TB), and recycled concrete (RC) as filling material in the construction of geogrid-reinforced structures. The laboratory characterization of the materials and a pilot application are presented.…”

Numerical Investigation of a Local Precise Reinforcement Method for Dynamic Stability of Rock Slope under Earthquakes Using Continuum–Discontinuum Element Method

“…The choice of the slope reinforcement scheme has an important influence on the prevention and control of landslide disasters [7]. A reasonable reinforcement scheme can improve the economy and safety of landslide disaster prevention and control [8,9]. In particular, the earthquake damage evolution process of complex slopes under earthquakes has the characteristics of accumulation and being gradual, which makes the prevention and control of earthquake damage of the slope more difficult.…”