Case studies of utilisation of Foamed Waste Glass (FWG) as lightweight fill material

Foamed waste glass (FWG) is a new material developed from unwanted glass bottles and other waste glass. It is a light material because of its porous structure (consisting of either continuous or discontinuous voids) but it has considerably stiffness. Investigations into utilisation of FWG material in geotechnical and construction engineering are underway.

Two cases of design and construction using FWG material as lightweight fill are presented and discussed. One is a restoration project for a steep slope which failed due to rainfall. It is shown by analysis that the safety factor of the slope is greater and the drainage of groundwater is better when using FWG fill than for ordinary local soil. Another case is an ‘L’ type retaining wall built for an enlarged road. The FWG was compared with Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) as the lightweight back fill of the retaining wall. The results showed that both the volume of fill needed and the earth pressures induced are less, and the workability is also better, for situations where FWG is used.

• 1 FWG AS LIGHTWEIGHT FILL MATERIAL

• 2 SLOPE RESTORATION USING FWG

• 3 USE OF FWG MATERIAL AS BACKFILL

• 4 CONCLUSIONS

• 5 REFERENCES