An evaluation of the suitability of SUPERPAVE and Marshall asphalt mix designs as they relate to Thailand’s climatic conditions

The most commonly-used asphalt mix design in Thailand still relies on the Marshall Mix design procedure which is empirical in its nature, in the sense that it is based on data produced by experiment and observation rather than reliable “in-field” data. As a result of this, the Marshall Mix design procedure has substantial drawbacks with respect to replicating the real or actual behaviour of asphalt during construction and in actual in-service conditions. The Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP) has developed the Superior Performance Asphalt Pavements (SUPERPAVE) mix design procedure, which shifts to a large degree away from the empiricism of the Marshall Mix design to provide a more reliable and responsive solution to actual pavement conditions. This study aims to evaluate whether the SUPERPAVE mix design procedure can be reliably implemented under Thailand pavement conditions. A map of the Performance Grade (PG) asphalt binders was generated to cover the study area, namely the North part of Thailand, according to the SUPERPAVE asphalt classification with the highest and lowest temperature ranges that the asphalt might be subjected to. Using local materials, and considering loading and environmental conditions, a comparative study of the performance of two mixes, designed using SUPERPAVE and Marshall Mix design procedures, was carried out. The SUPERPAVE mixes proved superior to the Marshall Mixes. However, the asphalt binder commonly used in Thailand is not suitable for Thailand pavement conditions, based on the PG grade asphalt classification system

Recycled Concrete Aggregates in Roadways: A Laboratory Examination of Self-Cementing Characteristics

This paper examines the self-cementing phenomenon of the road construction material known as recycled concrete aggregate (RCA). Two RCA types were selected as study materials: (1) high-grade RCA (HRCA), a quality RCA manufactured from relatively high-strength concrete structures; and (2) road base RCA (RBRCA), a high-grade RCA blend combined with brick and general clean rubble (road base material). Laboratory tests were performed to obtain the unconfined compressive strength, indirect tension dynamic modulus, and resilient modulus of the test samples to examine their hardening characteristics when subjected to varying curing periods. These tests were performed in conjunction with microstructure analyses from X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques. The HRCA samples, which were prepared and subjected to varying curing conditions, transformed from an initially unbound material into a bound (fully stabilized) material. The results of XRD and SEM analyses clearly demonstrate that secondary hydration occurred. The RBRCA samples were able to maintain their unbound granular properties, with nonsignificant self-cementing, thus supporting the hypothesis that the mixing of nonactive materials such as bricks and clean rubble into RCA will lessen the tendency of RCA toward self-cementing

Laboratory-grade vs. industrial-grade NaOH as alkaline activator: the properties of coal fly ash based-alkaline activated material for construction

Alkaline-activated materials (AAM) are potentially low-carbon alternative binders for the cement industry. Most research studies related to AAM have been performed with high-purity laboratory-grade NaOH alkaline activators (Lab-grade). Gaining confidence in AAM beyond the laboratory scale in real applications remains a major challenge. To make this prospect more realistic, the viability of low-purity industrial-grade (Ind.-grade) and local no-grade alkaline activators was investigated. The strength results of Ind.-grade AAM were 15–20% lower than those of Lab-grade AAM. The purity of the Ind.-grade activator should be at least 98% to achieve the performance of Lab-grade AAM. The production cost of Ind.-grade AAM was 75–85% lower than that of Lab-grade AAM at the same activator concentration. It should be noted that the use of no-grade NaOH is not recommended for engineering purposes due to its uncertain quality and low purity. The combined benefits of low cost and high availability of Ind.-grade activators are expected to enhance the commercial viability of AAM as a sustainable alternative construction material for field applications

Sustainable use of construction and demolition (C&D) waste as A road base material

Crushed concrete waste is a by-product from building demolition and constitutes a principal component of municipal solid waste consisting of concrete, sand, brick, rock, metals and timber. Over 50% of this waste is commonly sent to land-filled sites, resulting in the impact on the limited capacity of land-filled sites. Nowadays, the sources of virgin natural aggregates are depleted by increasing in demand of using a virgin material in building and infrastructure construction and maintenance facilities. This depletion leads to the utilisation of crushed concrete waste to replace natural aggregates in road and highway construction. Of key significance of this study is to present alternative materials for road and highway construction on the production of the proper guideline for road base by using crushed concrete waste. Sophisticated tests were conducted to investigate the mechanical responses of compacted crushed concrete subjected to applied loads simulated from traffic loads. Unconfined compressive strength, shear strength parameters, resilient modulus and permanent deformation of such material were determined. Our findings showed that crushed concrete waste is able to utilise as a road base material. The results of this study will enhance increased use of crushed concrete waste in road and highway construction and will, therefore, alternatively reduce consumption and costs in manufacturing virgin aggregates

Investigation of hard-burn and soft-burn lime kiln dust as alternative materials for alkali-activated binder cured at ambient temperature

Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). As climate change becomes a severe concern, the development of green technology becomes a goal for many sectors, including the construction material sector. Ordinary Portland cement (OPC), the main constituent of concrete production, is a primary contributor to releasing carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. Some alternative cementitious materials have been studied to reduce the massive amount of OPC consumption. Lime kiln dust (LKD), a by-product of quicklime production, is produced in abundance worldwide and mostly disposed of in landfills. The two types of LKD, soft-burn and hard-burn, are high-potential wastes that can be developed as alternative cementitious binders using the alkali-activated binder (AAB) technology. This study investigates the mixture designation and properties of LKD-based AAB when cured at ambient temperature. The results show that an ambient-cured soft-burn LKD-AAB achieved practical workability with an 8 M NaOH solution, 1.50 of sodium silicate-to-sodium hydroxide ratio (SS/SH), and 0.60 of liquid alkaline-to-binder ratio (L/B). A rapid setting behavior and an excellent compressive strength of 10.89 MPa at 28 days were revealed at room temperature curing. The ambient-cured hard-burn LKD-AAB could not provide the appropriate properties. However, the mixture of 20% hard-burn LKD and 80% soft-burn LKD resulted in an LKD-AAB mixture that meets the minimum requirement for low-strength cement applications. The positive outcome of this study may be the solution for of LKD wastes utilization in Thailand that addresses the challenge of developing ambient-cured AAB for in-field applications.Partially supported by Chiang Mai University; the fifth author would like to acknowledge the financial support of the Thailand Research Fund (TRF) under the TRF Distinguished Research Professor Grant No. DPG6180002; financial support and the raw materials for these experiments from Chememan Public Company Limited, Thailand

Laboratory-grade vs. industrial-grade NaOH as alkaline activator: The properties of coal fly ash based-alkaline activated material for construction

Case study.Data Availability: Data will be made available on request.Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Alkaline-activated materials (AAM) are potentially low-carbon alternative binders for the cement industry. Most research studies related to AAM have been performed with high-purity laboratory-grade NaOH alkaline activators (Lab-grade). Gaining confidence in AAM beyond the laboratory scale in real applications remains a major challenge. To make this prospect more realistic, the viability of low-purity industrial-grade (Ind.-grade) and local no-grade alkaline activators was investigated. The strength results of Ind.-grade AAM were 15–20% lower than those of Lab-grade AAM. The purity of the Ind.-grade activator should be at least 98% to achieve the performance of Lab-grade AAM. The production cost of Ind.-grade AAM was 75–85% lower than that of Lab-grade AAM at the same activator concentration. It should be noted that the use of no-grade NaOH is not recommended for engineering purposes due to its uncertain quality and low purity. The combined benefits of low cost and high availability of Ind.-grade activators are expected to enhance the commercial viability of AAM as a sustainable alternative construction material for field applications.This work (grant no. RGNS 63–078) was supported by the Office of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (OPS MHESI), Thailand Science Research and Innovation (TSRI). Furthermore, this research work was partially supported by Chiang Mai University. The authors would like to express gratitude to the Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chiang Mai University (CMU), for providing equipment and facilities, as well as Mr. Witthawat Moonnee (M.Eng) who was working hard on this project. Special thanks to the cooperation of Brunel University London, UK and Imperial College London, UK. The last author would also like to acknowledge the support from the Research and Graduate Studies, Khon Kaen University

An Evaluation of Moisture Damage Resistance of Asphalt Concrete based on Dynamic Creep Characteristics

The performance of asphalt concrete is severely influenced by moisture. The presence of moisture in asphalt pavement substantially reduces its designed service lifetime. Currently, the indirect tensile strength test with constant loading rate is employed to estimate the moisture damage potential to an asphalt mixture. This evaluation method is empirical in nature and, therefore, suitable for only empirically designed asphalt pavements. However, speculation exists in that the conventional testing method may inappropriately simulate actual field conditions. Therefore, this research aims to evaluate the moisture damage potential to asphalt concrete under cyclic loading using the dynamic creep testing platform. The dynamic creep test provides the flow number, which represents the number of loading cycles at the failure point of the asphalt mixture. Three different types of asphalt mixtures commonly used in Western Australia were investigated in this research. The dynamic creep test provided more reasonable evaluation results of potential moisture damage than the conventional method. The tensile strength ratio of all mixtures in this research were greater than 80%, which is the conventional design criteria. On the other hand, the dynamic creep test reveals that flow number ratio of two mixtures dropped below 80%. The flow number ratio of 14 mm mixture was 58%, while 56% was obtained from 20 mm mixture. However, high uncertainty in the dynamic creep test results was observed, due to the interpretation technique. In conclusion, based on the research findings, the dynamic creep test can be used as a complementary test of the stripping potential in asphalt concrete

Asphalt concrete moisture damage resistance: An evaluation of the coating ability of aggregates and binders

© 2018 Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland. Moisture related damage is the single most significant issue facing asphalt pavements worldwide. The improvement of moisture damange resistance of asphalt concrete as a asphalt pavement surface is the way to enhance essential properties of the asphalt concrete mixture components between mix aggregate and a binder (asphalt cement) to withstand adverse effects from moisture. Moisture damage consists of two key mechanisms, the loss of adhesion between the binder and aggregate and the loss of cohesion within the asphalt contrete matrix. This research aims to investigate the adhesion mechanism through the use of the so-called rolling bottle test (RBT) to assess the binder coverage under moisture conditions. Through the use of Western Australian aggregates and Main Roads WA specific binders and adhesion agent, hydrated lime. The percentage coverage was assessed to determine the moisture sensitivity of the aggregate-binder interface. This method allows for a fundamental mechanism of moisture damage to be analysed from an inside out perspective, free of external influencing factors. The results from this study showed that different study aggregates yielded different levels of moisture damage resistance based on the results of RBTs, while the stiffer C320 binder showed greater adhesion to the both study aggregate types. The addition of hydrated lime significantly increased the percentage coverage all samples

Crumb rubber modified asphalt: A laboratory investigation based on Australian and Thailand perspectives

© 2018 Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland. This laboratory- based study investigated the performance characteristics of wet process crumb rubber modified asphalt (CRMA) with crumb rubber proportions between 0% and 20% by mass of the binder. This was to assess the viability of CRMA for use in countries where CRMA is not widely utilized as Australia and Thailand and primarily involved the resilient and dynamic modulus characteristics, which indicated that CRMA pavement has both positive and negative attributes. The results show that CRMA characterizes a reduced stiffness for high frequency loading, but with a greater elastic range