enhancing mechanical properties of sands by using crushed waste glass as reinforcement

The published researches on the mechanical behaviour of granular soils reinforced with crushed glass particles from recycled glass waste is notably limited compared to studies involving glass powder. the disposal of waste glass presents significant environmental challenges, highlighting the need for innovative recycling solutions. this study investigates the use of crushed waste glass as a reinforcement material for sand to enhance its mechanical properties, offering a sustainable solution in geotechnical engineering. to achieve this goal, a series of direct shear experiments were conducted on three categories of river sand, each with a different mean particle size (d50 = 2.00 mm, 1.00 mm, and 0.63 mm). these sands were mixed with varying amounts of crushed waste glass (cwg = 0, 10, 20, and 30%) and subjected to three various normal stresses: 50, 200, and 400 kpa. the obtained data demonstrated clearly the combined impact of crushed waste glass and mean particle size on the angle of repose, internal friction angle, peak and residual friction angles, as well as the excess and maximum dilatancy angles for the sand-cwg mixtures. the results showed that as the crushed waste glass content (cwg) and mean particle size (d50) increased, the sand-cwg mixtures exhibited higher values of repose and internal friction angles. the study concludes that crushed waste glass can effectively reinforce sand, benefiting both waste recycling and construction material performance. these findings support sustainable civil engineering practices by reducing the environmental impact of waste glass and improving sandy soil performance. future research should investigate the long-term durability and environmental impacts of using crushed glass in various geotechnical applications.