Potential Advantages of Using Snow for Road Construction

Due to its silt size one or two percent wet of optimum water content makes the compaction of fly ash impossible. An excess amount of water is needed to enhance reactions leading to formation of cementitious products, which increases strength. A new technology has been developed to add more water into fly ash samples, to enhance the pozzolanic reactions leading to cementitious mineral formation. Fly ash at optimum water content, and fly ash with additional 10 % by weight snow were compacted, sealed and cured for 1, 7, 14, 28, and 90 days at 21 degrees Celsius. Unconfined compression, splitting tensile, hydraulic conductivity tests were conducted. The initial hydration process has been investigated using infrared thermography. Gamma-spectroscopic analysis techniques were used to determine 238U, 235U, 226Ra, 232Th. The dosimetric calculations are reported. The addition of snow into fly ash increased the unconfined compressive strength and splitting tensile strength beginning from 14 days of curing reaching up to two times of that of control samples at the end of 90 days of curing. The hydraulic conductivity increased two to three orders of magnitude for snow added samples. Gamma radiation has decreased 30 to 40 percent of that of control samples. With its higher void ratio, lighter weight, higher strength, higher hydraulic conductivity and lower gamma radiation, the proposed technique may be beneficial for highway agencies exposed to rough winter conditions in two ways; construction activities will not be ceased during snow, a higher performance road construction material will be obtained by adding snow.

• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Baykal, Gokhan
  • Edinçliler, Ayse
  • Saygili, Altug
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 86th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2007-1-21 to 2007-1-25
• Date: 2007

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: CD-ROM
• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 15p
• Monograph Title: TRB 86th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers CD-ROM

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Compaction; Compressive strength; Fly ash; Hydration; Hydraulic properties; Moisture content; Road construction; Snow; Tensile strength; Winter
• Uncontrolled Terms: Conductivity; Unconfined compressive strength
• Subject Areas: Construction; Geotechnology; Highways; Materials; I35: Miscellaneous Materials; I52: Construction of Pavements and Surfacings;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01046285
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 07-1624
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Feb 8 2007 6:17PM