Effect of Waste Tire Reinforcement with and without Cement Additives on Peat Strength Improvement

• Main Author: Nur Amalina, Hilwane
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English; English; English
• Published: UNIMAS 2025
• Subjects: TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General)
• Online Access: http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/47420/

Peat is generally characterized by its low shear strength, high compressibility, and moisture content. It is subjected to problem of instability and large primary and long-term settlement. This research study aims to investigate the effect on strength enhancement of fiber reinforced peat by using rubber tyre chips with addition of cement to improve the mechanical properties of the untreated peat. Two sizes of rubber tyre chips were chosen in the study, which are 0.05mm and 1-3mm, respectively. The peat samples are taken from Kampung Endap, Kota Samarahan. Both physical and mechanical properties of untreated and treated samples were determined in the study. The peat samples collected have a high moisture content of 400%. As for mechanical properties, Standard Compaction Test were conducted to obtain the optimum moisture content (OMC) and the maximum dry density (MDD) for all the design mix. The optimum dry density value for design mix obtained is used as reference in preparing Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS) samples. The fiber reinforced peat is treated with a constant 5% of cement, and various percentages ranging from 5%, 10% and 15% of rubber tyre crumbs. The samples were left to air- cured for 7, 28, 56, and 90 days. With the addition of rubber crumbs, the strength of the samples increased as the percentage increases. The highest UCS value recorded is 327.96 kN/m2 for peat with 10% rubber size of 0.05mm and 369.87 kN/m2 for peat with 15% rubber size of 1-3 mm after 90 days of curing with targeted threshold of 345kPa. In conclusion, the addition of rubber crumbs, significantly improved the strength of the treated peat samples when compared to untreated peat.