Sustainable Alternatives in Low Volume Road Base Course Applications Evaluated through Accelerated Pavement Testing

Depletion of good quality aggregate sources combined with strict environmental regulations has forced transportation agencies to consistently seek unconventional and sustainable alternatives for pavement construction materials. Accordingly, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) uses a wide variety of recycled materials for pavement construction platform as well as base/subbase course applications. However, no established design standards are available to govern the design and construction of pavement systems incorporating such recycled materials. This paper presents findings from an ongoing research study at the University of Illinois focused on the performance evaluation of different unconventional aggregates in low volume road base/subbase course applications through accelerated pavement testing (APT). Seven different aggregate materials incorporating different proportions of recycled concrete and reclaimed asphalt pavement materials were used to construct twenty four full-scale pavement test sections. Performance under loading of each pavement section is currently being studied through accelerated pavement testing and periodic rut-depth measurements after different number of load applications. Results from accelerated testing of four such pavement sections are presented in this paper.