Full-Depth Pavement Reclamation with Foamed Asphalt in California: Guidelines for Project Selection, Design, and Construction

Full-depth reclamation/recycling (FDR), or deep in-situ, recycling of damaged hot-mix asphalt (HMA) pavement with foamed asphalt (FA) and an active filler such as portland cement or lime can provide a stabilized base for a new hot-mix asphalt wearing course. Unlike other states and countries using FDR-FA, most California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) FDR-FA projects are on pavements with thick, cracked HMA layers over a relatively thin, weak natural aggregate base. Research was conducted to identify issues related to recycling thicker asphalt pavements and the main limitation is whether the recycled layer is structurally adequate for the design traffic. This guideline incorporates the findings of that research and provides guidance on full-depth reclamation including project selection, mix design, structural design and construction.