Performance of Para Rubber for Reinforced Embankment in Field Test

Abstract

From the situation of the para rubber price in Thailand that tends to decrease continuously during 2011 to present. In this research, ribbed smoked sheets, which is a natural material, is composed of the flexible and tensile properties similar to those of geogrid. The effectiveness of ribbed smoked sheets for embankment reinforcement was evaluated in the field test with dimensions of 1 meter × 3.5 meters and a height of 0.5 meters. The two layers of ribbed smoked sheets were installed at the position of 0.05 meters and 0.25 meters from the ground surface. The bearing capacity of an embankment without and with ribbed smoked sheets reinforcement were compared by simulating the weight of a 160 kilogram vehicle with carrying through 250 cycles. The settlement and rutting depth were measured. According to the measuring behavior of the embankment in the field test, it was found that the embankment with-ribbed smoked sheets reinforcement had settlement and rutting depth lower than those of the embankment without-ribbed smoked sheets reinforcement, on average 32.63 percent and 18.75 percent, respectively. Therefore, the ribbed smoked sheets have an efficiency to increase the strength of the embankment in the field test.