Beneficial Uses of TDA in Civil Engineering Applications
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Engineers and researchers have identified several physical properties of Tire Derived Aggregate that make it particularly well-suited for civil engineering applications. Those properties include TDA's...

  • Ability to shed and distribute water quickly;
  • Long-term physical durability;
  • Substantially lighter weight than stone aggregate;
  • Significant insulation value;
  • Good shear strength; 
  • Ability to be placed and compacted with commonly available construction equipment.

    • The New York State Waste Tire Management & Recycling Act of 2003 established the beneficial use of tires in civil engineering applications as one of the state's top tire recycling priorities. Nationwide, one of the largest uses of discarded tires already is replacement for stone aggregate in various types of civil engineering applications. Recent figures provided by the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) indicate that in the U.S. 49 million tires were recycled in civil engineering applications during 2005. This places civil engineering applications as the second largest market for discarded tires, behind only the tire derived fuel market.

    There are numerous applications for TDA in civil engineering including:

  • On-Site Wastewater Treatment Systems (septic)
  • Road Construction (insulating sub-base)
  • Drainage Control Structures
  • Leachate Collection and Gas Venting in Landfill Operations
  • Insulating Backfill for Building Foundations
  • Lightweight Fill for Retaining Walls, Embankments & Bridge Abutments

    • In addition, new applications are continuously being developed. For example, the use of TDA for vibration damping along rail corridors is being investigated by researchers from the University of Maine.

    Refer to the menu on the left for links to additional information on civil engineering applications of TDA specifically in New York State.