Rapid Triaxial Frequency Sweep Testing of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement Materials

The objective of this research was to determine the technical feasibility of using reclaimed asphalt pavement rubble materials as a structural base layer in City of Saskatoon pavement structures. This research compared the conventional and mechanistic behavior of crushed reclaimed asphalt pavement rubble materials across asphalt emulsion and cement stabilization systems to conventional granular base material under realistic field state conditions. Rapid triaxial frequency sweep testing was used to quantify the time-dependent response and the stress-dependent response of the material. For the purposes of this study, crushed reclaimed asphalt pavement rubble materials were tested using frequency sweep testing to determine suitability for use as a 100 percent reclaimed asphalt pavement base layer. Cement and emulsion stabilization systems were also examined. Frequency sweep testing was performed at room temperature of 20ºC and at four stress states and four frequencies, representative of field state conditions in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The findings of this research indicate that reclaimed asphalt pavement rubble materials have improved mechanistic structural properties compared to conventional granular materials. Overall, the reclaimed asphalt pavement treated with two percent cement showed the most improvement in stiffness over untreated samples. The cohesive and viscoelastic effects of the residual asphalt cement present in the reclaimed asphalt pavement plays a significant role in its superior mechanistic behaviour relative to conventional base materials. Using reclaimed asphalt pavement as a base layer is technically feasible and provides beneficial economic implications because the capital costs of virgin granular base are greater than those of reclaimed asphalt pavements.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AFP70 Mineral Aggregates.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Podborochynski, Diana
  • Berthelot, Curtis
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 93rd Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC
  • Date: 2014-1-12 to 2014-1-16
• Date: 2014

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 13p
• Monograph Title: TRB 93rd Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Base course (Pavements); Crushed rock; Emulsions; Granular bases; Reclaimed asphalt pavements; Rubble; Viscoelastic materials
• Geographic Terms: Saskatoon (Canada)
• Subject Areas: Highways; Materials; I33: Other Materials used in Pavement Layers;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01515116
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 14-0894
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Feb 21 2014 3:16PM