Investigation of the Influence of Laboratory Compaction Methods on the Micro-Structure and Compressive Strength Properties of Cement Stabilized Materials
Publication: Airfield and Highway Pavements 2021
ABSTRACT
Traditionally, variations of Proctor compaction method by means of an impact hammer have been used for the fabrication of cement-treated specimens in the laboratory. There are several systematic errors and practical concerns associated with compacting cement-treated aggregate base materials in cylindrical rigid molds. Issues pertaining to the quality, uniformity, and internal pore-structure of laboratory prepared specimens greatly influence the reliability of data and confidence in the material properties for the analysis and design of transportation infrastructure. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the influence of compaction techniques on the pore-structure distribution, as well as compressive strength properties of cement-treated materials. The experiment design incorporated cement treated virgin aggregates and reclaimed materials to better understand the synergistic interactions between different aggregate sources, cement contents, and compaction methods on the mechanical behavior of cement stabilized base materials. X-ray computed tomography results revealed the superiority of the gyratory compactor to achieve uniform porosity distributions in orthogonal directions. The mitigation of boundary effects in gyratory compacted specimens resulted in enhanced compressive strength performance compared to specimens compacted using the impact method. The outcome of this research can be instrumental for the pavement design industry for the refinement of specimen production procedures and the improvement of mixture design protocols in cement-stabilized base layers.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this chapter.
REFERENCES
Arabali, P., Lee, S. I., Sebesta, S., Sakhaeifar, M. S., and Lytton, R. L. (2018) “Application of Superpave Gyratory Compactor for Laboratory Compaction of Unbound Granular Materials.” International Conference on Transportation and Development, Pittsburgh, PA.
Arcement, B. J., and Wright, S. G. (2001) “Evaluation of Laboratory Compaction Procedures for Specification of Densities for Compacting Fine Sands.”, The University of Texas at Austin, Center for Transportation Research, Austin, TX.
Ashtiani, R., and Little, D. N. (2010) “Methodology for Designing Aggregate Mixtures for Base Courses.”, International Center for Aggregate Research.
Ashtiani, R. S., Rashidi, M., Rodriguez, E., Ordaz, M., Cruz H., Garay, G., and Rocha, S. (2020) “Establishing Best Practices for Construction and Design of Cement Treated Materials.”, The University of Texas at El Paso, Center for Transportation Infrastructure Systems, Austin, TX.
Browne, M. J. (2006) Feasibility of using a Gyratory Compactor to Determine Compaction Characteristics of Soil. Master’s Thesis, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT.
Cerni, G., and Camilli, S. (2011) “Comparative Analysis of Gyratory and Proctor Compaction Processes of Unbound Granular Materials.” Road Materials and Pavement Design, 12:2, pp. 397-421, Taylor & Francis Group.
Du, Y., Liu, P., Tian, J., Zhang, J., and Zheng, Y. (2018) “Preliminary Investigation of the Feasibility of Using a Superpave Gyratory Compactor to Design Cement-Treated Aggregate Mixture.” Applied Sciences, 8, 946.
Kaya, Z., Cetin, A., Cetin, B., and Aydilek, A. H. (2012) “Effect of Compaction Method on Mechanical Behavior of Graded Aggregate Base Materials.” GeoCongress 2012, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
Kim, W., and Labuz, J. F. (2007) “Resilient Modulus and Strength of Base Course With Recycled Bituminous Material.”, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.
Lee, S. I., Sebesta, S., Arabali, P., Lytton, R., and Sakhaeifar, M. (2019) “Application of Superpave Gyratory Compactors for Flexible Base and Subgrade.”, Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, TX.
Mokwa, R., Cuelho, E., and Browne, M. (2008) Laboratory Testing of Soil Using the Superpave Gyratory Compactor. Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC.
Ping, W. V., Xing, G., Leonard, M., and Yang, Z. (2003) “Evaluation of Laboratory Compaction Techniques for Simulating Field Soil Compaction (Phase II).”, Florida A&M University-Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL.
Sebesta, S. and Harris, P. (2005) “Investigation of Methods for Improved Precision of Test Method TEX-113-E.”, Texas A&M University, Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, TX.
Sebesta, S., Harris, P., and Liu, W. (2008) “Improving Lab Compaction Methods for Roadway Base Materials.”, Texas A&M University, Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, TX.
United States Army Corps of Engineers. (1962) “Gyratory Compaction Method for Determining Density Requirements for Subgrade and Base of Flexible Pavements.”, Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, MS.
Yaghoubi, E., Disfani, M. M., Arulrajah, A., and Kodikara, J. (2018) “Impact of Compaction Method on Mechanical Characteristics of Unbound Granular Recycled Materials.” Road Materials and Pavement Design, 19:4, pp. 912-934, Taylor & Francis Group.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Airfield and Highway Pavements 2021
Pages: 283 - 295
Copyright
© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Published online: Jun 4, 2021
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.