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Eco-trench: a novel trench solution based on reusing excavated material and a finishing layer of expansive concrete

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posted on 2018-03-20, 16:59 authored by Ana Blanco-AlvarezAna Blanco-Alvarez, Pablo Pujadas, C. Fernandez, Sergio Pialarissi-CavalaroSergio Pialarissi-Cavalaro, Antonio Aguado
Installing utility pipelines generates a significant amount of trench arisings, which are usually transported to landfills instead of being reused as backfill material. This practice generates CO 2 emissions and wastes raw materials. This paper presents a more sustainable solution, an eco-trench, which is based on re-using trench arisings as backfill and adding a top layer of expansive concrete to improve the eco-trench's structural performance. The technical feasibility of the eco-trench was evaluated through a finite element model, which identified the degree of expansion in concrete required to avoid failure or subside the stresses caused by traffic. The potential expansion of concrete was measured under confined conditions in the laboratory by means of a novel test developed for this purpose. The results showed that adding calcium oxide generates the required internal stress. The results were then confirmed in a pilot experience.

Funding

The authors would like to acknowledge Gas Natural SDG, S.A. for their collaboration and support of this project. The authors thank the support provided by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness in the scope of the project with reference number IPT-2012-0313-370000. The second and third author acknowledge the PDJ and FI grants provided by the Departament d’Universitats, Recerca i Societat de la Informacio of the Generalitat de Catalunya.

History

School

  • Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering

Published in

Materiales de Construccion

Volume

67

Issue

328

Citation

BLANCO, A. ... et al, 2017. Eco-trench: a novel trench solution based on reusing excavated material and a finishing layer of expansive concrete. Materiales de Construccion, 67 (328), e135.

Publisher

© Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC)

Version

  • VoR (Version of Record)

Publisher statement

This work is made available according to the conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence. Full details of this licence are available at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/4.0/

Publication date

2017

Notes

This is an Open Access Article. It is published by Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC) under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence (CC BY). Full details of this licence are available at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

ISSN

0465-2746

eISSN

1988-3226

Language

  • en

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