Date Approved

4-4-2017

Embargo Period

4-5-2017

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

MS Civil Engineering

Department

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

College

Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering

Advisor

Mehta, Yusef

Committee Member 1

Ali, Ayman

Committee Member 2

Rizvi, Hashim

Keywords

compressive strain, fatigue cracking, pavement performance, rutting, stabilized bases, tensile strains

Subject(s)

Pavements--Performance; Pavements, Flexible

Disciplines

Structural Engineering | Transportation Engineering

Abstract

This study was initiated with the aim of evaluating the impact of stabilized and untreated base layers on the performance (i.e., fatigue and rutting) of flexible pavements. Four field sections constructed using stabilized base layers (i.e., bituminous (asphalt emulsion), calcium chloride (CaCl-2), Portland cement, and geogrid stabilized base layers) and a control section constructed using untreated RAP aggregates were analyzed in this study. Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) tests were conducted on all the field sections and the collected data was used to backcalculate the elastic moduli for all layers. The influence of the stabilized bases and the untreated RAP base on the mechanical responses (stresses and strains) of the overall pavement structure was also evaluated by conducting layered elastic analyses. Pavement ME simulations were also conducted to determine which of the four stabilized bases enhanced the predicted performance of flexible pavements the most. Based on the results of the study, it was concluded that the Portland cement stabilized base seemed to be more effective than the other stabilized bases at improving the resistance of the pavement sections to fatigue cracking. It was also determined that base layer stabilization appeared to have little effect on the rutting resistance of the pavement sections.

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