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Engineered Conservation Structures using Discarded Tires

Conference Paper · January 2008

DOI: 10.13031/2013.24300

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 Engineered Conservation Structures using Discarded
Tires
Donald C. Slack1, Guillermo Garcia1, Robert Roth1, Stuart Hoenig1, Rafael
Segovia2, Refugio Soto2 and Arturo Frayre2
1. Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ USA
2. Instituto Tecnologico de Nogales, Nogales, Sonora, Mexico.
Abstract. We have developed ways to utilize discarded tires for erosion control structures, bank
stabilization and slope stabilization and erosion control in the form of engineered structures for each of
these applications. This paper also describes and illustrates a channel erosion control structure made
entirely from individual tires used to form side walls, wing walls and aprons for the structure. In this case
the individual tires were bound together with nylon rope to form a flexible structure. This structure was
built in a ephemeral wash (gully) on a local ranch near Tucson, AZ and has been in place for over ten
years.

More recently, engineers from the University of Arizona and the Technological Institute of Nogales
(ITN) collaborated on a demonstration project on the ITN campus to construct retaining walls for steep
slopes and use arrays of individual tires for slope stabilization on gentler slopes. For the retaining wall,
tires were stacked on a footing and anchored to the footing via a reinforcing rod running up through the
tires. The individual columns of tires were then tied together and the rod anchored to the soil mass behind
the wall using a “duck-bill” anchor and cable.

Keywords. Erosion control structures, used tires, conservation structures.

Introduction
Erosion control, channel stabilization and slope stabilization are common problems in many developing
countries. Often the lack of resources makes it difficult to construct engineered structures to address such
problems. However, in many countries, both developing and developed, discarded tires are nearly as much
of an environmental problem as erosion. We have developed ways to utilize discarded tires for erosion
control structures, bank stabilization and slope stabilization and erosion control in the form of engineered
structures for each of these applications.

While attempts have been made to use discarded tires for erosion control and slope stabilization in some
developing countries (e.g. Mexico) these attempts have often met with failure because the application was
not “designed” to meet the need. This has resulted in loose tires washing down slope or down stream and
becoming a “pollutant” instead of a solution. We utilize tires as a “building block” much in the same way
that one might utilize concrete blocks or rock filled gabions. Thus in each structure, individual tires are
attached to each other and the structure is anchored to the slope, the stream bank or the stream bed.

This paper provides examples of three applications of discarded tires in conservation structures. The
first is the use of tires for slope stabilization, the second is that of a channel erosion control structure and the
third is the use of tire bales for stabilization of channel banks.

Slope Stabilization

Nogales, Sonora is the border “sister city” of Nogales, Arizona and over the past forty years has grown
from a sleepy border town of less than 30,000 to nearly 500,000. As it has grown, the city has expanded
into steep terrain along the Nogales wash which is an ephemeral tributary to the Santa Cruz River.
Urbanization of this steep terrain is fraught with many problems including high runoff rates and severe
erosion. Figure 1 shows a secondary school in Nogales which has been constructed on a hilltop leveled for
that purpose. Note the severe erosion on the slope.
 Figure 1. School on a hilltop in Nogales, Sonora

In an attempt to control erosion at such locations, locals have tried to utilize discarded tires which are
abundant, as they are in any urban area. Unfortunately these ad-hoc attempts have always met with failure
and resulted in the tires from any such structures being strewn through out the city. An example of such an
“ad-hoc” structure is shown in figure 2.

Figure 2. “Ad-hoc” tire structure in Nogales, Sonora

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 Based upon our previous successful utilization of tires for erosion control structures in Arizona (Hoenig,
1999), the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering at the University of Arizona developed a
collaborative project with the Department of Civil Engineering at the Technological Institute of Nogales
(ITN) to develop and demonstrate reliable engineered designs for application in Nogales. The project was
funded by the International Arid Lands Consortium. This collaboration led to designs for “retaining walls”
and stair-stepped “tire mats” for slope stabilization. Figure 3 illustrates a model of typical designs of both
retaining wall and mat components. This model was constructed by students at ITN.

Figure 3. Model of typical slope stabilization design utilizing tires.

Important aspects of the design include, adequate site preparation which consisted of preparing a
compacted, level foundation for each row of tires; interlocking of the tires by tying them together and
anchoring the tires firmly to the underlying soil. Figure 4 illustrates design details for the “stair-stepped”
retaining walls shown in the model.

Figure 4. Typical design for retaining wall constructed from tires.

As with the mats, the tires in each “column” are tied together and each column is tied to the adjacent
columns. Finally every third column has a steel post through its center firming driven into the underlying
soil and this post is anchored to the soil using a “duck-bill” anchor. This assures that the tires are
interlocked and will not become dislodged in a storm and move down slope. The anchor spacing and
anchor force requirements were determined based on soil forces calculated from active earth pressure
theory.

To demonstrate applicability of this design, a site was chosen on the campus of ITN in Nogales, Sonora.
Figure 5 shows the site prior to any construction.

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 Figure 5. Demonstration site at Instituto Tecnologico de Nogales

Figure 6 shows the site during initial phases of construction and includes dimensions and locations of
retaining walls and mats.

2.00 m

Anclas 2.00 m 1.00 m

@ 3 llantas
1.00 m

1.00 m

1.00 m

Figure 6. Demonstration site under construction

All construction work was done by Civil Engineering students from ITN under supervision of ITN
faculty. The tires were obtained from the Nogales municipal dump and delivered to the site by the Mexican
Army. Figure 7 shows the site during the final construction phase. Students are moving soil from between
two “retaining” walls to form a terrace.

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 Figure 7. Final construction phase at demonstration site.

Finally figures 8 shows details of how tires were tied together with aluminum wire and how each third
“column” of tires in the retaining walls were anchored.

Figure 8. Detail of anchoring system.

Construction of the demonstration project was completed in December, 2007 and this site will be used
as the basis for extending such designs to other locations in Nogales.

Stream/Arroyo Stabilization

We have also utilized discarded tires to construct erosion control structures in channels. In this
application we again used individual tires tied together to provide stability . The tires in such an application
are used in a manner similar to that of stones except, in this case, the “mortar” holding the tires together was
nylon rope. We designed the structure in much the same way that one might design a structure made of
concrete blocks. Thus the structure has all the important elements of an in-channel flume including wing-
walls and apron. Figures 9 and 10 provide two different views of a structure completed in 1997 and still in
operation. The photos were taken in 2004 and thus show that the structure is a functioning, stable structure.
Note that the apron and throat of the “flume” was covered with wire mesh to prevent individual tires from
dislodging and endangering the integrity of the structure floor.

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 Figure 9. Outlet of tire channel stabilization structure, looking upstream

Figure 10. Sidewall of tire channel stabilization structure

This structure was built to stabilize the channel where a “road” (dirt track) crossed the channel and has
been very effective at stabilizing the channel at this crossing. As with the slope stabilization structures, an
important aspect of constructing a successful structure was to “integrate” the individual tires by tying them
together to form a single unit and, in the case of the structure, to add protection of the wire mesh on the
structure apron to prevent individual tires from dislodging.

Channel Bank Stabilization

A third application of tires to conservation structures is the utilization of tire “bales” to form stable
vertical channel sides. Tire “balers” are available with which one can compress 20-30 tires into a single
“bale” held together with wire, much in the same way a bale of hay or straw is held together. Figure 11
shows several such bales.

5
 Figure 11. Baled tires, ready for installation

These bales were installed directly along the banks of a large irrigation canal/pond at the University of
Maricopa Agricultural Center in 1999. The channel doubled as a fish rearing pond for Tilapia. It should be
noted that previous research has found that tires have been found to not release any harmful chemicals into
the water or soil and therefore their utilization for stabilization of the banks of a fish pond is a perfectly safe
application (Brown, et al. 2001).

Figure 12 shows preparation of the channel banks prior to installation of the bales and figure 13 shows
the channel/pond after installation.

Figure 12. Tire bales awaiting installation in channel

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 Figure 13. Tire bales installed for bank stabilization.

The bales used in this project were approximately 1m x 1m x 2m with a mass of approximately 200kg.
Thus it was necessary to use heavy equipment to install them, whereas both the channel structure and the
slope stabilization applications could be constructed easily with hand labor since the tires were installed in
the structures one at a time. The tire baling machines can be set to make smaller bales but a lower limit of
size would be about 1m x1m x 1m which would still have a mass of about 100kg. As noted previously, the
bank stabilization application has been in place for about nine years and is still functioning as planned.

Summary and Conclusions

Discarded tires can be used as “building blocks” for a variety of conservation structures. The form of
the structure can and should be the same as it would be for any other building material (i.e. masonry,
concrete, gabions, etc.). To ensure durability and integrity of the structure it is important to ‘anchor” the
structure to the surrounding soil and it is equally important to tie the tires together. This paper illustrated
three different applications, slope stabilization, channel stabilization and channel/pond bank stabilization.
Tires can be successfully and safely utilized in any such application but it is important that the structure be
designed for the application just as it would be if other material were being used for the structure.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the sponsors of each of the projects. Funding for the slope stabilization
demonstration project was provided by the International Arid Lands Consortium . The channel stabilization
structure was funded, in part, by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and support was also
provided by the John King family of King Anvil Ranch where the structure was built. The channel/pond
bank stabilization project was funded by the University of Maricopa Agricultural Center and the Arizona
Agricultural Experiment Station. The authors would also like to thank the Technological Institute of
Nogales (ITN) for providing the site for the slope stabilization project and the senior Civil Engineering
students at ITN for assisting with construction of the project. Maria del Carmen Flores Cano and Nadia
Silvestry Rodriguez, graduate students in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering at the University of
Arizona, provided valuable assistance for the ITN project.
References
Brown, KM., R. Cummings, JR. Mrozek, and P. Terrebonne. 2001. Scrap tire disposal: three principles for
policy choice. Natural Resources Journal 41:9-22

Hoenig, Stuart A. 1999. Tires for Erosion Control. Conference Paper. Arizona Hydrological Society
Symposium: Hon Dah, Arizona.

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