This paper aims to use the discrete element method (DEM) to study the performance of discarded off-the-road (OTR) tire chips under compression. The results of small-scale laboratory tests were used to calibrate a model built in PFC3D. This model was validated using the results of a large-scale laboratory experiment. The results show that the discrepancy between the calculated strain and the strain measured in the laboratory was 1.94%. Furthermore, the calculated elastic modulus was 0.11 MPa lower than the elastic modulus determined in laboratory measurements. A sensitivity analysis done on the parameters included in the simulation indicated that Poisson’s ratio and the local damping ratio had a significant impact on the simulation results, whereas the loading rate, particle size and scale effect of the loading cylinder had a limited effect on the simulation results. The compressibility characteristics of OTR tire chips in the field embankment were simulated using a cuboid filled with the same size clumps as the TDA chips used in laboratory tests, and the simulation results were compared with available information. The results indicated that the parameters calibrated based on the small-scale laboratory tests can be used to predict the deformation of OTR tire chips in the field. The discrepancy between the calculation and field measurements for strain was 1%. Due to the extremely low winter temperatures in Edmonton (as low as −40 °C), the impact of temperature on the mechanical properties of OTR tire chips was also considered by varying the values of elastic modulus used in the simulation. The results show that the tire chip embankment had a larger strain in summer than in winter as a result of the high elastic modulus in warmer temperatures; however, the difference between the summer and winter strain values is only 0.4%. This paper presents valuable results on the deformation characteristics of OTR tire chips, using a combination of field measurements and laboratory measurements, and exploring the impact of temperature on the deformation of OTR chips using a numerical approach.

本文旨在使用离散元方法（DEM）来研究压缩条件下废弃的越野（OTR）轮胎碎片的性能。小型实验室测试的结果用于校准PFC3D内置的模型。使用大规模实验室实验的结果验证了该模型。结果表明，计算出的菌株与实验室测得的菌株之间的差异为1.94％。此外，所计算的弹性模量比实验室测量中确定的弹性模量低0.11 MPa。对仿真中包含的参数进行的敏感性分析表明，泊松比和局部阻尼比对仿真结果有重大影响，而载荷率，装料缸的颗粒尺寸和比例效应对模拟结果的影响有限。使用填充有与实验室测试中使用的TDA碎片相同大小的块的长方体，对OTR轮胎碎片在田间路堤中的可压缩特性进行了仿真，并将仿真结果与现有信息进行了比较。结果表明，基于小规模实验室测试校准的参数可用于预测OTR轮胎碎片在现场的变形。应变的计算值和现场测量值之间的差异为1％。由于埃德蒙顿（Edmonton）的冬季温度极低（低至-40°C），因此还通过改变模拟中使用的弹性模量值来考虑温度对OTR轮胎碎片机械性能的影响。结果表明，由于温暖温度下的高弹性模量，夏季轮胎碎屑路堤比冬季更大。但是，夏季和冬季应变值之间的差异仅为0.4％。本文结合现场测量和实验室测量，对OTR轮胎碎片的变形特性提出了有价值的结果，并使用数值方法探索了温度对OTR轮胎碎片变形的影响。