CASE STUDY 1:

describes the use of tire bales as strong lightweight fill in the repair of a side slope failure on a compacted fill embankment in Texas.  The initial slope failure for this project was initiated by above average rainfall. Reconstruction, carried out in 2002, required the use of 360 tire bales, totaling about 36,000 scrap tires. Remediation of the slope failure began with placement of the delivered tire bales at the toe of the slope.  Once the bales were secured, the slope was completely covered with soil, followed by reshaping of the slope.  Compost and seed were spread to stimulate vegetation growth and minimize future surface slope erosion. (TXDOT, 2003)  Within the eight months following placement of the first bales, the Fort Worth area experienced nearly 50 inches of rainfall.  A site visit and a preliminary slope stability analysis revealed that the use of tire bales instead of reconstructed a soil embankment had improved the factor of safety by 2 to 3 times.