Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
provides free access to full-text papers, research communications and supplementary data. Submission
details and contact information are available at the web site.
2009 The University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research and the American Coal Ash
Association
Web: www.coalcgp-journal.org
ISSN# 1946-0198
Volume# 1 (2009)
Editor-in-chief: Dr. Jim Hower, University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research
CCGP Journal is collaboratively published by the University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy
Research (UK CAER) and the American Coal Ash Association (ACAA). All rights reserved.
The electronic PDF version of this paper is the official archival record for the CCGP journal.
The PDF version of the paper may be printed, photocopied, and/or archived for educational, personal,
and/or non-commercial use. Any attempt to circumvent the PDF security is prohibited. Written prior
consent must be obtained to use any portion of the papers content in other publications, databases,
websites, online archives, or similar uses.
Suggested Citation format for this article:
Li, L., Edil, T.B., Benson, C.H., 2009, Mechanical Performance of Pavement Geomaterials Stabilized with
Fly Ash in Field Applications. Coal Combustion and Gasification Products 1, 43-49,
doi: 10.4177/CCGP-D-09-00018.1
ISSN 1946-0198
journal homepage: www.coalcgp-journal.org
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Jackson State University, Jackson, Mississippi, 39217, USA
Recycled Materials Resource Center, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706
ABSTRACT
This paper describes an evaluation of the mechanical performance of fly ash stabilized materials. Soft clay soil, asphaltic
recycled pavement material (RPM), and road-surface gravel (RSG) were stabilized using Class C and off-specification fly ashes
to create working platforms or stabilized base courses for construction of flexible and rigid pavements at six sites in Wisconsin
and Minnesota. California bearing ratio (CBR), resilient modulus (Mr) tests, and unconfined compression (qu) tests were
conducted on the subgrade soil, RPM, and RSG alone and on mixtures prepared in the field and the laboratory to evaluate
improvements in bearing resistance and stiffness. Fly ash stabilization improved the stiffness and strength of the materials
significantly. After 7 d of curing, CBR of the stabilized materials (10 to 150) was two to ten times the CBR of the materials
alone (1 to 50). The Mr of the stabilized materials ranged between 20200 MPa after 14 d of curing, whereas the Mr of the
materials alone was 10,120 MPa. The qu of the unstabilized subgrade is in average of 121 kPa and the field-mix fly ash
stabilized materials have qu between 254 kPa and 368 kPa (mean 5 311 kPa). Lower CBR, Mr and qu were obtained for
stabilized materials mixed in the field relative to the stabilized materials mixed in the laboratory (64% lower for CBR, 25%
lower for Mr, and 43% lower for qu).
f 2009 The University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research and the American Coal Ash Association
All rights reserved.
ARTICLE
INFO
Article history: Received 6 November 2009; Received in revised form 11 December 2009; Accepted 17 December 2009
Keywords: fly ash; soft clayey soil; recycled pavement material; road surface gravel; stiffness; bearing resistance
1. Introduction
As one of the family of coal combustion products, fly ash has been
mainly disposed in landfills. However, the self-cementing properties
characteristic of some fly ashes can be used beneficially to improve
the mechanical properties of soil and other unbound pavement
materials (ACAA 2005, 2008; EPA 2005; FHWA 2003). For example,
fly ash was used to stabilize a soft subgrade soil to provide a stable
working platform for highway construction equipment that is strong
and stiff (Ferguson, 1993; Edil et al., 2002; Thomas and White 2003;
Bin-Shafique et al., 2004; Mackiewicz and Ferguson 2005; White et
al. 2005; Bergman 2007). In base applications, fly ash was used to
doi: 10.4177/CCGP-D-09-00018.1
f 2009 The University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research and the American Coal Ash Association. All rights reserved.
44
Table 1
Pavement Structure and Materials at the Six Sites.
Sites
Scenic Edge
STH 60
STH 32
USH 12
Waseca
Chisago
Location
State highway,
Wisconsin
305 m
125 mm-HMA
225 mm-CA
300 mm- FASM
12%
State highway,
Wisconsin
370 m
230 mm-PCC
200 mm-CA
300 mm- FASM
10%
US highway,
Wisconsin
1200 m
200 mm-PCC
150 mm-CA
300 mm- FASM
12%
Highway CR 53,
Minnesota
3500 m
89 mm-HMA
254 mm- SRSG
N/A
10%b
Project length
Surface material
Base material
Subbase material
Fly ash contenta
Note: STH 5 State Trunk Highway, HMA 5 Hot Mixed Asphalt, PCC 5 Portland Cement Concrete, CA 5 Crushed aggregate, FASM 5 fly ash stabilized material, RPM 5 recycled pavement
material, RSG 5 road-surface gravel, SRPM 5 stabilized recycled pavement material, SRSG 5 stabilized road-surface gravel, N/A 5 no applicable.
a
mixing of Class C and Off-Specification fly ash with 1:1 mixing ratio.
Table 2
Physical Properties and Classifications of Subgrade Soils at Four Sites.
Classification
Station
LL
PI
% Fines
USCS
AASHTO
Scenic Edge
44
20
90
CL
A-7-6
27.0
20.0
STH 60
39
15
95
CL-ML
A-6
25.0
19.0
23
23
23
34
28
13
14
14
16
14
53
46
43
66
35
CL
SC
SC
CL
GC
A-4
A-4
A-4
A-6
A-2-6
10.0
8.1
9.9
11.5
7.6
9.8
11.0
10.6
13.6
9.8
46
40
31
65
38
42
41
27
27
26
29
27
17
49
21
23
24
15
12
11
71
43
35
65
50
56
57
35
44
34
CL
SC
SM
CH
SC
CL
CL
SM
SC
SM
A-7-6
A-6
A-2-6
A-7-6
A-6
A-7-6
A-7-6
A-2-6
A-6
A-2-6
NA
7.8
14.7
7.8
10.8
NA
12.2
6.7
14.3
8.1
15.0
9.0
10.0
15.0
9.0
15.0
15.0
10.0
9.0
10.0
STH 32
615+50
614+50
613+50
612+50
611+50
USH 12
580+00
586+00
590+00
594+00
598+00
602+00
606+00
610+00
612+00
614+00
Note: LL 5 liquid limit, PI 5 plasticity index, USCS 5 Unified Soil Classification System,
AASHTO 5 American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, wN 5 in situ
water content, wopt 5 optimum water content.
45
3. Methods
3.1 Field-Mixed and Laboratory-Mixed Specimens
Water content and unit weight of the field compacted FASM at
each site was measured at each station using a nuclear density gage
(ASTM D 2922) immediately after compaction was completed. Grab
samples (< 20 kg) of FASM were also collected at these locations
and were immediately compacted into a CBR mold (114 mm inside
diameter 3152 mm height) and a resilient modulus mold (102 mm
inside diameter 3203 mm height) to the unit weight and moisture
content measured with the nuclear density gage. Three lifts were
used for the CBR specimens and six lifts were used for the resilient
modulus (Mr) specimens with standard Proctor compaction effort.
After compaction, the specimens were sealed in plastic and stored
at 100% humidity for curing (7 d for CBR specimens, 14 d for Mr
specimens). These test specimens are referred to henceforth as
field-mixed specimens.
Specimens of FASM were also prepared in the laboratory using
separate samples of the pavement materials and fly ash collected
during construction. These specimens, referred to henceforth as
laboratory-mixed specimens, were prepared at the field water
content and dry unit weight. The laboratory-mixed specimens were
compacted and cured using the same procedures employed for the
field-mixed specimens.
3.2 California Bearing Ratio (CBR) Tests
The CBR tests were conducted in accordance with ASTM D 1883
after 7 d of curing (field-mixed or laboratory-mixed FASM) or
immediately after compaction (pavement materials). The specimens
were not soaked and were tested at a strain rate of 1.3 mm/min. The
7-d curing period and the absence of soaking are intended to
represent the competency of the surface pavement material (HMA
or PCC) is placed (Bin-Shafique et al., 2004).
3.3 Resilient Modulus (Mr) Tests
Fig. 1. Particle size distributions of the RPM at the Waseca site (a) and RSG at
the Chisago site (b).
46
Table 3
Chemical Composition and Index Properties of Fly Ashes.
Percent of Composition
Parameters
Portage, Wisconsin
55.5
23.1
3.7
0.7
C
Scenic Edge, STH 60,
USH 12, Wisconsin
39.0
9.0
5.4
16.4
off- Specification
Chisago, and St. Paul,
Minnesota
Fig. 2. CBR of pavement materials and fly ash stabilized materials (laboratorymix and field-mix) after 7 d of curing: (a) at Chisago site, (b) box plot, and (c)
ratio of CBR of FASM over averaged CBR of unstabilized materials at five sites.
The solid symbol is the mean value, and the error bar is the standard deviation.
with fly ash stabilization. For example, the ratio is in the average of
2 for the fly ash stabilized RPM at the Waseca.
4.3 Unconfined Compressive Strengths
Unconfined compressive strengths (qu) of the subgrade and fieldmixed FASM at the STH 60 is shown in Fig. 4a. There is no systematic
47
Fig. 3. Resilient modulus of pavement materials and fly ash stabilized materials
(laboratory-mix and field-mix) after 14 d of curing: (a) at USH 12 site at four
sites, (b) box plot, and (c) ratio of Mr of FASM over averaged Mr of unstabilized
materials. All resilient moduli are at deviator stress of 21 kPa.
48
49
Li, L., Benson, C.H., Edil, T. B., Hatipoglu, B., and Tastan, O., 2007, Evaluation of
Recycled Asphalt Pavement Material Stabilized with Fly Ash, Soil and
Materials Inputs for Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design, (Tutumluer E.,
Tashman, L., Ceylan H. eds), Geotechnical Special Publication 169, ASCE, 110.
Mackiewicz, S.M., and Ferguson, E.G., 2005. Stabilization of Soil with Self
Cementing Coal Ashes. In Proceedings of the World of Coal Ash (WOCA);
Lexington, KY, April 2005.
Misra, A., Upadhyaya, S., and Biswas, D., 2003. Utilization of Silo Stored and
Ponded Class C Fly Ash in Road Bases. In Proceedings: 2003 International
Ash Utilization Symposium; University of Kentucky Center for Applied
Energy Research, Lexington, KY, 2003.
Misra, A, 2005. Cold In-Place Recycling of Asphalt Pavements Using SelfCementing Fly Ash: Analysis of Pavement Performance and Structure
Number; Project 05-CBRC-M09; West Virginia Water Research Institute
Combustion Byproducts Research Consortium: Morgantown, WV, 2005.
Thomas, Z.G., and White, D. J., 2003. Engineering Properties of Self-Cementing
Fly Ash Subgrade Mixtures. In Proceedings of the 2003 International Ash
Utilization Symposium; University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy
Research. Lexington, KY, 2003.
Trzebiatowski, B., Edil, T.B. and Benson, C.H., 2004. Case study of subgrade
stabilization using fly ash: State Highway 32, Port Washington, Wisconsin.
Beneficial Reuse of Waste Materials in Geotechnical and Transportation
Applications, (Aydilek A., and Wartman, J. eds.), GSP No. 127. ASCE, Reston,
VA, 123136.
White, D.J., Harrington, D., and Thomas, Z., 2005. Fly Ash Soil Stabilization for
Non-Uniform Subgrade Soils: Volume 1 Engineering Properties and
Construction Guidelines; Iowa Highway Research Board Report IHRB Project
TR-461, FHWA Project 4; Iowa State University Center for Transportation
Research and Education, April 2005.