Protecting underground tunnel by rubber-soil mixtures

Abstract

This paper presents a promising earthquake protection method by placing rubber-soil mixtures (RSM) around underground tunnels for absorbing vibration energy and exerting a function similar to that of a cushion. The validity of the method will be demonstrated by numerical simulations using various recorded earthquake ground motions. The use of scrap tires as the rubber material can provide an alternative way of consuming huge stockpiles of scrap tires from all over the world. Moreover, the low cost of this proposed method can greatly benefit developing countries where resources and technology are not adequate for earthquake mitigation using welldeveloped, yet expensive, techniques. © 2009 ASCE.