Mechanistic-Empirical Evaluation for the Inclusion of Tire-Derived Aggregates in Rigid and Flexible Pavements

Abstract

This study evaluates the performance of flexible and rigid pavement structures incorporating tire-derived aggregate (TDA) layers. TDAs, lightweight and cost-effective materials, were characterized through laboratory testing and large-scale box experiments to determine their interlayer resilient modulus. Re-sults revealed that TDAs are highly sensitive to compaction energy, influencing their mechanical properties. ME analysis showed bottom-up fatigue cracking as the dominant distress in flexible pavements and JPCP transverse cracking in rigid pavements. Rigid pavements demonstrated greater sensitivity to interlayer modu-lus variations and required fewer modifications to achieve satisfactory performance. Potential design solu-tions, including layer thickness and material properties adjustments, were proposed to mitigate performance impacts. This paper highlights the feasibility of incorporating TDA in pavement structures, emphasizing the need for precise compaction methods and further analysis to validate long-term performance predictions.