Abstract
A report by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in the USA stated that there are over 1.4 million miles (2.3 million kilometres) of unpaved roads in the United States, over 1/3 of the U.S highway systems. Unpaved roads play an important role in transporting goods and passengers in between urban and suburban areas. However, most unpaved roads are gravel and unimproved that have exposed a severe issue for local transportation networks. Particularly when unpaved roads are in wet conditions (rain or snow), the muddy and soft surface roads have created a hazardous environment for traffic operations. The paper presents an improvement plan using co-polymer dust suppressants to be mixed with soils collected in Northern Arizona. Soil samples were mixed with the co-polymer dust suppressants using four concentration rates (0% water, 1%, 3%, and 5% by weight). A series of tests were performed including surface strength (resistant penetration) test, dynamic rolling test, and unconfined compressive shear test. The results show that the addition of co-polymer dust suppressants in the soil has improved the soil shear strength and decreased dust emissions, provided the results from the surface strength test, dynamic rolling test, and unconfined compressive strength test are promising.
Highlights
Fugitive dust, a type of atmospheric matter, is potentially generated from unpaved roads by natural winds or vehicle movements [1]
In addition to the concern on the human health and environmental pollution, the lower strength of the unpaved road is one of the factors that significantly influences the safety of traffic operations in transporting goods and passengers, resulting in economic loss due to poor road conditions [6, 7]
This paper aims to evaluate the effectiveness of polymer dust suppressants in the improvement of performance of the soil specimens
Summary
A type of atmospheric matter, is potentially generated from unpaved roads by natural winds or vehicle movements [1]. Particles passing through the #200 sieve can be indicated as fugitive dust emissions and may have significant impacts on human health and surrounding environment [10]. This paper aims to evaluate the effectiveness of polymer dust suppressants in the improvement of performance (shear strength, surface strength, and dust mitigation) of the soil specimens. The co-polymer dust suppressants are diluted into four different concentrations (0%, 1%, 3%, and 5%) to be mixed with both soils to prepare soil specimens. Sieve analysis and soil classification of two soil samples As previously mentioned, two types of soil were collected at two different locations in Northern Arizona: Sedona and Flagstaff. The specimens were prepared by spraying the suppressant solutions on the soil surface at a rate of 1.59 L/m2 until the specimens were fully mixed with the co-polymer dust suppressants
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