Submitted by ALEXANDER ALBERTO RODRIGUEZ GAMBOA null (alexander.r.gamboa@gmail.com) on 2016-05-06T06:12:01Z No. of bitstreams: 1 ALEXANDER ALBERTO RODRIGUEZ GAMBOA D Final.pdf: 2835466 bytes, checksum: 371027696e6cde2bf330e85c69c9370e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Felipe Augusto Arakaki (arakaki@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2016-05-09T18:46:42Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 gamboa_aar_me_guara.pdf: 2835466 bytes, checksum: 371027696e6cde2bf330e85c69c9370e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-05-09T18:46:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 gamboa_aar_me_guara.pdf: 2835466 bytes, checksum: 371027696e6cde2bf330e85c69c9370e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-03-07 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / O presente trabalho foi desenvolvido com a finalidade de avaliar a combustão do óleo pirolítico, obtido a partir de pneus inservíveis, tendo sido levadas em consideração as viabilidades energética e ambiental para seu emprego como combustível alternativo, em um processo de combustão convencional. A primeira etapa consistiu em uma revisão da literatura sobre a grande quantidade de pneus inservíveis gerados no mundo e as principais rotas de disposição destes, a fim de ressaltar a relevância do estudo do óleo pirolítico de pneus (OPP) como uma alternativa de solução energética e ambiental. Assim como, verificaram-se suas principais propriedades físico-químicas, que fazem deste, um atrativo combustível alternativo. Posteriormente, foi desenvolvido um modelo de equilíbrio químico utilizando o método de minimização da energia livre de Gibbs para obter uma estimativa da formação e emissão dos principais produtos da combustão do OPP. Neste, foram avaliadas as concentrações dos produtos da combustão da mistura de óleo pirolítico de pneus e óleo diesel, focando-se principalmente na influência promovida pelas emissões de SO2 ao se aumentar a concentração do óleo diesel na mistura. Os testes experimentais foram realizados utilizando uma câmara de combustão de paredes não isoladas, constituída de dois módulos desmontáveis. Foi empregado nestes testes um queimador, no qual foi montado um swirler axial de pás movíveis que permitiu avaliar a influência do ângulo das pás do swirler sobre as concentrações dos produtos da combustão (CO, CO2, NOx e O2). Um problema crucial foi a elevada formação e deposição de material particulado, o que conduziu os experimentos a algumas paradas durante os testes, devido ao entupimento reiterativo do bico injetor e do filtro do compressor, utilizado na exaustão. Os resultados evidenciaram a viabilidade do uso do OPP como combustível alternativo, utilizando-se apenas um atomizador comercial tipo pressure swirl para sua atomização. A chama ficou estável para valores de razão de equivalência abaixo de 0,92. Além disso, as emissões de CO, CO2 e NOx foram comparáveis com aquelas obtidas por outros pesquisadores que queimaram óleo diesel. / This study was conducted in order to evaluate the combustion of pyrolytic oil derived from waste tires, for which the energy and environmental feasibility of its use as an alternative fuel in a conventional combustion process were considered. The first stage consisted in a review of literature about the large amount of waste tires generated in the world and the main disposal routes of them, to highlight the relevance of the study of tyre pyrolytic oil (TPO) as an alternative energy and environmental solution. Also, its main physico-chemical properties that make it an attractive alternative fuel was verified. After that, a chemical equilibrium model using the Gibbs free energy minimization method to obtain an estimate of the formation and emission from the main combustion products of TPO was developed. At this, the concentrations of the combustion products of the blend between tyre pyrolytic oil and diesel fuel were assessed mainly focused on the promoted influence by SO2 emissions with the increase of diesel fuel in the mixture. The experiments were carried out using a combustion chamber of non-isolated walls that consisted of two removable modules. A burner was used in the experiments, which was mounted an axial swirler of movable blades that allowed to assess the influence of the swirler blades angle on concentrations of combustion products (CO, CO2, NOx and O2). A crucial issue was the elevated formation and deposition of particulate matter, which led the experiments a few stops during the tests, due to reiterative clogging the nozzle and compressor filter used in the exhaust. The results showed the viability of the TPO's use as an alternative fuel, using only a commercial type atomizer pressure swirl for its atomization. The flame was stable for the equivalence ratio values below 0.92. Furthermore, emissions of CO, CO2 and NOx were comparable with those obtained by other researchers who burned diesel fuel.

The research work critically analyzed the factors responsible for imprudent waste tyre management in South Africa. As an approach to determine the complexity of the problem, questionnaires were sent to one hundred and sixty (160) respondents in conjunction with interviews. Perusal of literature and interaction with industry involved in waste tyre processing to further gain knowledge of the problem and possible solutions that can be solicited to address the problem. Findings revealed that, lack of clear, focused legislation that guide the handling, disposal and processing of waste tyres remain the challenge. It is also deduced that recycling of waste tyres can provide economic benefits and opportunities. It is recommended that South Africa develop appropriate legislation that deals with handling, treatment and disposal of waste tyres, develop an incentive programme to set up initiatives as well as developing skilled and capacitated enforcement agency. / Environmental Sciences / M.A. (Environmental Management)

The research work critically analyzed the factors responsible for imprudent waste tyre management in South Africa. As an approach to determine the complexity of the problem, questionnaires were sent to one hundred and sixty (160) respondents in conjunction with interviews. Perusal of literature and interaction with industry involved in waste tyre processing to further gain knowledge of the problem and possible solutions that can be solicited to address the problem. Findings revealed that, lack of clear, focused legislation that guide the handling, disposal and processing of waste tyres remain the challenge. It is also deduced that recycling of waste tyres can provide economic benefits and opportunities. It is recommended that South Africa develop appropriate legislation that deals with handling, treatment and disposal of waste tyres, develop an incentive programme to set up initiatives as well as developing skilled and capacitated enforcement agency. / Environmental Sciences / M.A. (Environmental Management)

Scrap tyres provide numerous advantages from the viewpoint of civil engineering practices. Scrap tyres are light weight, have high vibration absorption, high elastic compressibility, high hydraulic conductivity, and temperature isolation potential. Scrap tyres have a thermal resistivity that is about seven times higher than soil; they produce low earth pressure and absorb vibrations. Many new techniques have emerged with time to utilize these advantageous characteristics for practical purposes in civil engineering. Though current reuse and recovery of scrap tyres has reduced the amount of landfills, but still there is a need for developing additional practices for the reuse of scrap tyres. Moreover, most of present practices do not use its vibration absorption capacity efficiently. To use the scrap tyres as individual material or mixed with soil in civil engineering applications, the systematic understanding of static and dynamic properties of sand-rubber mixtures (SRM) are of prime importance. In the present study an attempt has been made to characterize the SRM to use them as low-cost isolation material for low-to-medium rise buildings. Proposal of this isolation system using SRM is addressed in this study in four parts; in the first part, the estimation of shear strength and volumetric characteristics of the SRM were carried out. A total of seven different rubber sizes (six sizes of granulated rubber; 2 - 1 mm; 4.75 - 2 mm; 5.6 - 4.75 mm; 8 - 5.6 mm; 8 - 9.5 mm; 12.5 - 9.5 mm and one size of tyre chips; 20 - 12.5 mm) were considered for characterizing the SRM, and the rubber size which has higher shear strength characteristics is identified as optimum size for further studies. Second part deals with the effect of reinforcement on SRM with higher rubber content (50% and 75% rubber by volume). In the third part, dynamic properties of selected SRM combination with and without reinforcement were generated from experimental studies. In the last part, the numerical analysis was carried out using finite element program Strand7 to find out optimum dimension of proposed isolation scheme and reduction of spectral accelerations. In addition, the laboratory model tests were also carried out on square footing supported on unreinforced and reinforced SRM. The relative performances of reinforcement on settlement characteristics of SRM for 50% and 75% SRM have been compared with unreinforced SRM. Engineering behaviour of SRM has been studied by considering different rubber sizes and compositions by carrying out large scale direct shear test and Unconsolidated Undrained (UU) triaxial test. The shear strength characteristics such as peak shear stress, cohesion, friction angle, secant/elastic modulus, volumetric strain, failure and ultimate strength, ductility/brittleness index, and energy absorption capacity of sand and SRM were determined. The optimum percentage rubber content based on maximum shear strength and energy absorption capacity has been arrived. The granulated rubber size (12.5 - 9.5 mm) and percentage ratio, 30% by volume is found to be optimum size and content, which gives the maximum energy absorption capacity and lower brittleness index values compared to other rubber sizes. This chapter also describes the applicability of concept of Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to identify an approximate response surface model from experimental investigations on the engineering properties of sand and SRM. The experimental data were quantitatively analyzed by multiple regression models by correlating response variables with input variables in this study. To consume more tyres in SRM, rubber mix of 50 % and 75 % mixes are studied and these SRM results in lower shear strength and higher volume change when compared to 30 % SRM. To improve shear strength and reduce compressibility, geosynthetic reinforcement study has been carried out for 50% and 75% rubber by volume. Here geotextile, geogrid and geonets were used as reinforcement and number of layers and spacing between layers were varied. Finally type of reinforcement, number of layers and optimum spacing are arrived for the optimum rubber size of 12.5 - 9.5 mm for reinforced SRM. This study found that 4 layers with equal spacing of geotextile for 50 % SRM and geonet for 75 % SRM shows better strength when compared to other combinations. Further dynamic properties such as shear modulus and damping values at different strain level are estimated for red soil, sand, 30 % SRM and unreinforced and reinforced 50 % and 75 % SRM by carrying out resonant column tests and cyclic triaxial tests. The normalized shear modulus and damping ratio curves have been developed for these materials. The experimental results indicate that, shear modulus increases for 30% rubber by volume when compared to sand, thereafter the shear modulus values decreased with a further increase in rubber content in SRM. Whereas the damping ratio increases with increasing rubber content in SRM. For sand and SRM, with an increase in confining pressure shear modulus increases and damping ratio decreases. Based on the comprehensive set of experimental results, a modified hyperbolic model has been proposed. These properties are further used in the numerical analysis to find out the effectiveness of SRM as isolation material. Numerical dynamic analysis has been carried out on a 2-D finite element model of the soil-foundation-structure system. The building model has been generated considering the typical G+2 building resting on 20 m thick soil followed by rock depth and foundation is placed at 2.0 m below ground level. The beams and columns in the superstructure are modeled using 2-D frame elements. The soil column has been modeled using 4-noded 2-D plane strain plate elements. Considering the transmitting boundary condition, viscous dampers are implemented at the base of the computational soil domain in order to mitigate the reflective effects of waves. The Newmark family method (average acceleration method) has been used to calculate the displacement, velocity and acceleration vectors. Comprehensive numerical simulations have been carried out on the soil-foundation-structure system by varying rubber content in SRM (30%, 50% and 75% granulated rubber by volume), depth and thickness of SRM around footing and considering two input earthquake acceleration time history. It was found that earthquake vibrations are considerably reduced for SRM with higher rubber content. The optimum dimension of SRM giving maximum reduction in shaking level is found to be 3B below the footing and 0.75B (where B is the width of footing) on the side of the footing. Generally, the shaking levels at different floor can be reduced by 30-50%, with the use of 75% SRM. The results also indicated that the effectiveness of proposed system would depend on the characteristics of ground motion. To study the bearing capacity of square footing on SRM, laboratory model tests were carried out on square footing supported on unreinforced and reinforced SRM. The SRM combination which have been used for numerical studies are used in this model studies to know the bearing capacity and settlement characteristics. The optimum dimension of SRM around footing has been constructed. Model tests results show that, the bearing capacity decreases and settlement increases steadily with the increase in rubber content in SRM. Addition of reinforcement to SRM significantly improved the bearing capacity and reduced settlement characteristics. Reinforced SRM may be used as an effective low cost isolation scheme to reduce earthquake vibrations.