Determine the optimum cementitious blends to be used on pavement rehabilitation treatment.

Honan, Richard (2023) Determine the optimum cementitious blends to be used on pavement rehabilitation treatment. [USQ Project]

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Abstract

The road network is required to be robust yet flexible enough to withstand a variety of traffic loads while delivering a level of comfort the public expect (UniSQ, 2020a). Poorly maintained roads are said to cause up to 1.2 million deaths and 50 million injuries annually (Peden, 2004). Unbound granular pavements with a double/double seal as a wearing course are common in Australia. This study is to focus on the rehabilitation of rural roads that have been constructed and are repaired in this way. It will look at the effectiveness of adding a stabilisation agent, such as cement powder during works.

This study aims to determine the ideal amount of cement powder required to give the optimal Californian bearing ratio (CBR) results for road repairs. Both economic and sustainable benefits are the expected outcome of this report. Several studies focused on Unconfined Compressive Test (UCS) were found during the literature review, although there was a limited amount of information specifically addressing CBR, especially in the context of the Darling Downs flood plains.

As this project is located around Dalby, the availability of Transport and Main roads (TMR) approved quarries is limited. It was decided to focus attention on the main supplier RSC Quarry 20 kilometres north of Dalby.

UniSQ had all equipment available to perform the testing. A sample of the common material used in road rehabilitation was obtained. The Quarry was able to supply results from their own quality testing.

TMR research, in terms of UCS, determined that 1.65% added cement powder gave the best results. Using this it was decided to complete CBR tests at six different levels, 0% 0.5%, 1%1.5%, 2% and 2.5%, refer to figure 1, and compare results with the TMR UCS results.

The addition of more cement powder was found to make the material more brittle. Unfortunately, a pavement layer that is brittle is not desirable. This means that adding too much cement is not only costly but also harmful to the environment. To explore alternatives, we need to conduct further research to determine if using an eco-friendly cement powder yields different outcomes.

The results of this study have validated the use of the UCS test and show that good CBR results are obtained with the use of similar added cement. This will help with determining a quantity of additive that design engineers allow for rehabilitation work.


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Item Type: USQ Project
Item Status: Live Archive
Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: Current – Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Engineering (1 Jan 2022 -)
Supervisors: Thorpe, David
Qualification: Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Civil)
Date Deposited: 25 Sep 2025 02:07
Last Modified: 25 Sep 2025 02:07
Uncontrolled Keywords: pavement; rehabilitation; cement powder
URI: https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52956

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