Macroscopic properties and microscopic characterisation of an optimally designed anti-cracking stone base course filled with cement stabilised macadam

Abstract

Stone base course filled with cement stabilised macadam (SFC) is a promising solution for addressing reflection cracks in semi-rigid base asphalt pavement due to its satisfactory crack resistance. However, its limited strength and construction challenges have impeded its widespread application. To overcome these challenges, an optimised mix proportion design method of SFC was proposed. Natural crushed limestones with specific particle sizes were selected to serve as skeletal coarse aggregates; fine aggregates and their proportions were step-by-step determined using aggregate and unconfined compressive strength tests. The multi-scale analysis integrating the performance tests and the microscopic detections was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed SFC, and compared with common cement stabilised macadam (CSM). The results indicate that the material exhibits satisfactory mechanical strength through a tightly interlocked skeleton structure and excellent crack resistance by dissipating strain energy and retarding cracking of SFC through the weak interface transition zone (ITZ).

KEYWORDS:

• Stone base course filled with cement stabilised macadam
• cement stabilised macadam
• mix proportion design
• multi-scale analysis
• interlocked skeleton structure
• interface transition zone

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge their financial support. Furthermore, all authors of the following references are much appreciated.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China [grant number 2018YF­B1600200], the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 52078132], the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities [grant numbers 2242021Y10063, 2242021Y10329], and the Scientific Research Foundation of Graduate School of Southeast University [grant number YBYP2168].