A PILOT STUDY OF CEMENT-TREATED BASECOURSES FOR USE IN PERMEABLE INTERLOCKING CONCRETE PAVEMENTS

Note: The following is the notation used in this paper: ( . ) for decimals and ( ) for thousands. Summary Most studies of permeable basecourse materials for PICP have hitherto concentrated on unbound granular materials. This paper presents a pilot study of cement-bound granular material for use as basecourse in permeable pavements. Experimental studies of a range of cement-treated materials using uniform gradations of aggregate yielded properties that were often superior to the basecourse materials currently recommended for PICPs. Materials with different sizes of aggregates and cement contents were tested in order determine the impact of these factors on the hydraulic and structural properties. Details are given of the voids ratio, permeability, compressive and tensile strength and the resilient tensile moduli obtained under repeated triaxial loading. These properties are compared with those previously reported for conventional and permeable basecourse materials. The implications of these findings in the design and construction of PICPs are then discussed. It is shown that cement-treated basecourses can combine high voids ratios and permeabilities with the mechanical properties needed to support significant traffic loads.