In the construction of highways, airports, and other structures, the compaction of soils is needed to improve its strength. In 1933 Proctor developed a laboratory compaction test to determine the maximum dry density of compacted soils, which can be used for specifications of field compaction. The Compaction of soils is influenced by many factors, the most common are the moisture content, the soil type and the applied compaction energy. The objective of this research is the analysis of the maximum dry density values based on the soil classification and characterization. The method of choice in the determination of the maximum dry density from different soils was the Standard Proctor Test following the procedure for the standard Proctor test as is explained in ASTM Test Designation D-698. From this investigation, the maximum dry density of eight types of sands was obtained, the sands were classified by using the Unified Soil Classification System. The influence on the maximum dry density of the type of sands, type of fines, amount of fines and distribution of the grain size was determined, followed by a sensitivity analysis that measured the influence of these parameters on the obtained maximum dry density. The research revealed some correlations between the maximum dry density of soils with the type of fines, the fines content and the Uniformity Coefficient. These correlations were measured and some particular behavioral trends were encountered and analyzed. It was found that well-graded sands have higher maximum dry density than poorly graded when the soils have the same fines content, also it was encountered that plastic fines tend to increase the maximum dry density.

Quarry fines are by-products of the aggregate extraction and productionprocesses. Because such fine material cannot be marketed, it becomes aburden for the aggregate industry, resulting in stockpiles of financiallyunexploited material. Even though previous research has been focused onminimizing the generation of quarry fines, far too little attention has beenpaid to maximizing their utilization instead. The aim of this thesis is toinvestigate whether 0/2 mm and 0/4 mm quarry fines can be utilized asalternative materials in the construction industry, specifically in theunbound layer of a road or as filling against a bridge. The methodologyconsisted of four laboratory tests that investigated the water content,particle size distribution and percentage of filler content, optimummoisture content (OMC) and maximum dry density (MDD) relationshipas well as bearing capacity of the materials. The results show that theamount of filler content (<0.063 mm) can significantly impact thematerial’s water-holding capacity as well as its compaction capabilities.After comparing the bearing capacity measurements to the technicalrequirements of the Swedish Transport Administration, it was found thatthe 0/2 mm fits the necessary requirements for use in the unbound layerof either a flexible or rigid pavement but not as filling against a bridge.Further research is needed to determine the material’s relationship towater absorption and resistance to freezing and thawing cycles, as it isdifficult to assess its suitability for road construction solely on theseresults; however, despite its limitations, the study provides some valuableinsights into the potential applications of quarry fines.

Although foamed bitumen has been widely applied in pavement construction some of its aspects are still not yet understood. In this study, some of these aspects including: effects of the foaming process on binder chemistry, characterization of foamed bitumen and development of a rational method to optimize foam characteristics, evaluation of aggregate particle coating within foamed bitumen treated materials, and development of a gyratory compaction procedure for laterite gravels treated with foamed bitumen were addressed. The effects of the foaming process on bitumen chemistry were investigated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy techniques. Also, foam characteristics of three binders were established and a rational method to optimize foam characteristics proposed. Aggregate particle coating with foamed bitumen was studied using the concepts of surface energy and Rice density. In addition a gyratory laboratory compaction procedure for laterite gravels treated with foamed bitumen was established using the modified locking concept. Infrared techniques have shown that foaming does not cause any changes in the binder chemistry, suggesting that foaming may be a physical process. Further, foam characteristics are greatly influenced by binder viscosity. Also, the equiviscous temperature seems to produce foam with optimum foam characteristics. Rice density results showed that aggregate size fraction, binder expansion ratio and viscosity influenced aggregate particle coating. Surface energy results revealed that foamed bitumen exhibited better coating attributes than neat bitumen. A new compaction procedure for laterite gravels treated with foamed bitumen based on the modified locking point was developed. / QC 20110427

Inadequate financial allocation for road maintenance is a threat to the impaired rural highways in Atlantic Canada. The conventional means of pavement rehabilitation has been to place a hot mix asphalt concrete overlay on the existing worn out pavement which is only a short term adjustment. The purpose is to provide a smooth wearing surface at a low cost. This traditional way of pavement repair does not fix the damage embedded within the pavement structure. After a certain extent of time the cracks in the original pavement start to reflect to the smooth new wearing surface, causing deterioration on the overlay. The advanced approach which is becoming more popular is the application of Full Depth Reclamation (FDR). This technique helps to repair the extensively defective roads by pulverizing the flexible pavement along with a fraction of the underlying damaged base layer. Thus a damage free base layer can be obtained by stabilizing and recompacting the pulverized materials. FDR is a sustainable and an environmentally beneficial repair method as it re-uses the in-situ materials. FDR process has been used around the world for over 25 years yet confronts some difficulties regarding the fluctuation in the strength of materials in various projects. It is inferred that some of these difficulties are due to the variability and poor quality in the restored materials. The variability in the recycled base layer is a result of currently utilizing a retroactive depth control method to attain a specific blend of asphalt concrete to granular base for the pulverized materials. Two FDR projects applying two different pulverization control methods (conventional retroactive and GPR depth control methods) were analyzed to investigate the improvements in consistency of the restored materials by using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR). A wide range of asphalt concrete/base layer blend ratio was detected in retroactive control section, while consistent blend ratio was maintained in GPR survey by mapping the variability in the depth of pavement and sub-dividing the test sections accordingly. A GPR controlled constant blend ratio during pulverization displayed improvements in consistency of materials, physical and mechanical properties and performance as anticipated. The materials obtained by using the conventional retroactive depth control method exhibited higher variability in grain size distribution, optimum moisture content, optimum density, California Bearing Ratio, resilient modulus and shear strength. All materials from both projects exhibited excessive air voids and inadequate fines content as the as-obtained particles acted as conglomerated particles and enough fines were not generated after the pulverization. It is recommended that efficient quality control, precise specifications and appropriate pulverization methods will provide more reliable and impressive FDR pavements. / This thesis contains research on unstabilized full depth reclaimed aggregates properties

Destruction of road constructions due to the frost is in locations with temperatures under the zero a problem which leads to permanent deformation. The theoretical part of this thesis deals with the freezing process of the pavement and its subgrade. It presents methods for determining the rate of frost susceptibility in both the Czech Republic and abroad. Describes the materials used in the subgrade of roads and their suitability in terms of frost susceptibility. The thesis closely examines the fly-ashes, their properties and possibilities of using in the construction industry. The practical part of the thesis focuses on the performance of direct laboratory frost heave tests, immediate bearing index tests, California bearing ratio tests and cyclic load triaxial tests to determine the modulus of elasticity. Tests are carried out on the soil, the soil mixtures with certain percentages of fly ash from different sources at the same soil treated with lime. Then the results are compared and dependence between the measured characteristics of materials is created.