Influence of Sand-Rubber Mixtures Backfill on Mechanical Properties of Bridge Abutment and Foundation Piles

Abstract

Sand-rubber mixtures have the advantages of light weight, high strength, and low price. In this study, three-dimensional finite element simulation was carried out in GTS MIDAS based on the elastoplastic constitutive model to investigate the response of bridge abutments to sand-rubber mixtures backfills under static load condition. Four different backfill materials were used and compared in the modeling. The settlement of abutment foundation, displacements of bridge abutment and foundation pile, and bending moment of the piles were analyzed. The results show that the sand-rubber mixtures backfill can significantly decrease the settlement of foundation, and the displacements of bridge abutment and foundation pile as compared to the backfill soil. Such decrease is more prominent as the rubber content increases. The use of sand-rubber mixtures replacing the soft soil layer or as a backfill material not can only reduce the upper load acting on foundation soils and improve the stability and static performance of bridge abutment, but also solve the problem of waste rubber recycling and potential environmental pollution to meet the increasing demand of road construction materials for the rapid development of highway engineering, resulting in huge economic and social benefits with a wide range of engineering applications.