Induced trench method with rubber tire chips as the compressible fill

Abstract

Installation of underground pipes in highway and street construction presents a recurring problem for engineers. The induced trench method of installation presents a cheap and time efficient way reducing the stresses these pipes have to carry. This project is a model study of the simple induced trench method of installation using rubber chips as the compressible material. Two small scale models were constructed and tested in the UNB centrifuge to simulate field conditions. A model pipe, mounted with ten strain gages, was placed in both a simple embankment condition and an induced trench condition. Rubber chips were used as the compressible fill in for the induced trench model. The main objective of this study was to verify the validity of using rubber chips as the compressible fill in an induced trench installation. Thrusts and bending moments were calculated for both tests and the results were compared for analysis. The test results proved inconclusive. The induced trench model did not experience any less severe loading than the simple embankment model.