Investigation on the preparation and performance of clinker-fly ash-gypsum road base course binder

Abstract

Abstract Reflecting cracks of asphalt pavement induced mainly by shrinkage crack of road base course become one of the most common pavement diseases in highway. To compensate the shrinkage of stabilized road base course, a slow setting slight-expansive cement was designed as road base course binder (RBCB) and the properties of road base course with RBCB were investigated. Furthermore, the RBCB’s shrinkage compensation effect, the performance of RBCB stabilized crushed stone and its applications are studied in this article. RBCB has longer setting time and its 28-day strength is almost equal to 32.5 grade Portland slag cement (P.S 32.5). RBCB has slight expansion characteristics, it can effectively compensate the shrinkage of the cement, thus its volume stability under both wetting-drying and drying-wetting scenario is improved. The road base course stabilized by RBCB has higher mechanical properties and substantially lesser shrinkage crack than the ordinary cement stabilizing road base course. RBCB has low construction costs and outstanding performance in practical applications. Hence, it is an effective approach to lessen the pavement cracking by developing slow setting and expansive road base stabilizer compensate the shrinkage of road base materials.