Strength Characterization of Untreated and Cement-Treated Recycled Flex-Base Materials

Annually millions of tons of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) was generated in the United States of America. The use of RAP and RAP-virgin aggregate mixes in pavement base and sub-base construction are now well acknowledged. Whereas, lack of laboratory and field evaluation is limiting the prospective use of RAP and other recycled material mixes, which may demonstrate more efficiency in terms of cost, depletion of resource, construction waste disposal, and environmental conservation. To illuminate this unfocused sphere, on the basis of laboratory experimental works, this paper describes the strength and stiffness response of different cement treated RAP-recycled crushed concrete aggregate (RCA) Grade 2 base material. Based on the test results of Grade 2, strength and elasticity modulus prediction models for different percentage of RAP were proposed in this study, regardless the amount of cement used. Also, two different design charts for compressive strength and modulus of elasticity were also prepared to facilitate the design of pavement construction in selecting the appropriate aggregate blend and cement content.