USE OF CORALLINE MATERIALS IN PAVEMENTS

Reef building coral exists at temperatures above 18 degrees centigrade to a maximum depth of around 80 metres with the most prolific growth occurring in the top 30 metres. Coral is composed of either calcite or aragonite, the two common crystalline forms of calcium carbonate. Coral derived aggregates have been largely ignored since the Pacific campaign in the Second World War when American and Australian engineering units constructed large numbers of coral roads and runways. The north coast of Australia and all the neighbouring Pacific islands have abundant supplies of both live and dead coral which would be available for pavement construction. Coral materials have been credited with a self-cementing action which is probably due to resolution and redeposition of calcium carbonate. The paper describes the investigation of a particular coral which is to be used in the construction of an international standard runway on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea. Various modes of compaction have been investigated to predict behaviour under field conditions. The cementing action has been evaluated by using accelerated curing techniques and evaluated using CBR testing and triaxial compression. Although coral is frequently regarded as an inferior construction material, results suggest that coral could be used extensively in all tropical coastal regions. The number of the covering abstract for the conference is TRIS No. 393385. (Author/TRRL)

• Record URL:
  http://arrbknowledge.com
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00050164
• Supplemental Notes:
  • The Proceedings of the 12th Australian Road Research Board Conference, Hobart, Tasmania, 27-31 August 1984.
• Corporate Authors:

  ARRB

  Melbourne, Victoria  Australia 
• Authors:
  • Bullen, F
• Publication Date: 1984

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 63-70
• Serial:
  • Australian Road Research
  • Volume: 12
  • Issue Number: 2
  • Publisher: ARRB
  • ISSN: 0005-0164

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aggregates; Airport runways; Behavior; Bonding; Building materials; Calcium carbonate; California bearing ratio; Compaction; Compression; Conferences; Coral; Developing countries; Evaluation and assessment; Field tests; Pavements; Paving; Triaxial shear tests; Tropics
• Uncontrolled Terms: Triaxial compression
• Old TRIS Terms: Cementing
• ITRD Terms: 9001: Behaviour; 3087: California bearing ratio; 3686: Compaction; 5532: Compression; 8525: Conference; 4160: Coral; 150: Developing countries; 9020: Evaluation (assessment); 6226: In situ; 4555: Material (constr); 2955: Pavement; 5566: Triaxial
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways; Materials; Pavements; I35: Miscellaneous Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00393417
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: ARRB
• Files: ITRD, TRIS, ATRI
• Created Date: Jul 31 1985 12:00AM