Recycled Pavement Materials Research Articles

Laboratory Comparison of Crushed Aggregate and Recycled Pavement Material With and Without High Carbon Fly Ash

In-place recycling of asphalt pavement materials is a sustainable rehabilitation method. Existing hot-mix asphalt (HMA) layer is pulverized and blended with some or the entire base course and possibly some subgrade to form a broadly graded material referred to as recycled pavement material (RPM). The RPM is then compacted as the new base course and overlaid by a new layer of HMA. In some occasions, additives are added to increase the strength of RPM base course, such as cement, emulsion, fly ash. It is plausible to utilize high calcium high carbon fly ash, as the high level of carbon prevents fly ash from being used in concrete. A series of laboratory tests were conducted to evaluate the performance of these materials, including crushed aggregate, untreated RPM, and treated RPM with high carbon fly ash. The tests included compaction, California Bearing Ratio, resilient modulus, and unconfined compressive strength for treated RPM. The engineering properties of these materials were compared.

Mechanical Performance of Pavement Geomaterials Stabilized with Fly Ash in Field Applications

This paper describes an evaluation of the mechanical performance of fly ash stabilized materials. Soft clay soil, asphaltic recycled pavement material (RPM), and road-surface gravel (RSG) were stabilized using Class C and off-specification fly ashes to create working platforms or stabilized base courses for construction of flexible and rigid pavements at six sites in Wisconsin and Minnesota. California bearing ratio (CBR), resilient modulus (M~r~) tests, and unconfined compression (q~u~) tests were conducted on the subgrade soil, RPM, and RSG alone and on mixtures prepared in the field and the laboratory to evaluate improvements in bearing resistance and stiffness. Fly ash stabilization improved the stiffness and strength of the materials significantly. After 7 d of curing, CBR of the stabilized materials (10 to 150) was two to ten times the CBR of the materials alone (1 to 50). The M~r~ of the stabilized materials ranged between 20-200 MPa after 14 d of curing, whereas the M~r~ of the materials alone was 10∼120 MPa. The q~u~ of the unstabilized subgrade is in average of 121 kPa and the field-mix fly ash stabilized materials have q~u~ between 254 kPa and 368 kPa (mean = 311 kPa). Lower CBR, M~r~ and q~u~ were obtained for stabilized materials mixed in the field relative to the stabilized materials mixed in the laboratory (64% lower for CBR, 25% lower for Mr, and 43% lower for q~u~).

Sustainable Construction Case History: Fly Ash Stabilization of Recycled Asphalt Pavement Material

A case history is described where Class C fly ash was used to stabilize recycled pavement material (RPM) during construction of a flexible pavement in Waseca, MN, USA. The project consisted of pulverizing the existing hot-mix asphalt (HMA), base, and subgrade to a depth of 300 mm to form RPM, blending the RPM with fly ash (10% by dry weight) and water, compacting the RPM, and placement of a new HMA surface. California bearing ratio (CBR), resilient modulus (Mr), and unconfined compression (qu) tests were conducted on the RPM alone and the fly ash stabilized RPM (SRPM) prepared in the field and laboratory to evaluate how addition of fly ash improved the strength and stiffness. After 7 days of curing, SRPM prepared in the laboratory had CBR ranging between 70 and 94, Mr between 78 and 119 MPa, and qu between 284 and 454 kPa, whereas the RPM alone had CBR between 3 and 17 and Mr between 46 and 50 MPa. Lower CBR, Mr, and qu were obtained for SRPM mixed in the field relative to the SRPM mixed in the laboratory (64% lower for CBR, 25% lower for Mr, and 50% lower for qu). In situ falling weight deflectometer testing conducted 1 year after construction showed no degradation in the modulus of the SRPM, even though the SRPM underwent a freeze–thaw cycle. Analysis of leachate collected in the lysimeter showed that concentrations of all trace elements were below USEPA maximum contaminant levels.

Variability Analysis of Hot-Mix Asphalt Concrete Containing High Percentage of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement

A research project was undertaken to evaluate the production and construction variability of hot-mix asphalt concrete (HMAC) containing large quantities of recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) material. Four construction projects were selected. Two of the projects used 35 percent RAP material, while the other two used 40 and 50 percent RAP, respectively. The projects differed in size with total hot-mix ranging from 12,000 to 30,000 tons. In all cases, dedicated RAP stockpiles were used. A series of tests were performed at both the hot-mix plant laboratory and the University of Texas (UT) asphalt laboratory. The tests at the plant included extraction, gradation, and asphalt content using nuclear gauge. A number of specimens were also compacted and shipped to the Texas Department of Transportation Materials and Tests Division for Hveem stability testing. Asphalt recovery, penetration, and viscosity tests for both HMAC and RAP were conducted at the UT laboratory. Each day, four sublots were sampled. The results o...