Mechanical Comparison between a base layer of crushed rock and grave emulsion

Abstract

The aim of this work is to share the study of the use of Gravel Emulsion replacing crushed rock in pavement road base through numerical modeling applying the nonlinear elastic program (Fepave2) in comparison with a crushed rock base that was modeled from a pavement structure from an existing road.
Gravel Emulsion is a well graded crushed rock, asphalt emulsion and water. As a cold asphalt mixture in its early age the cohesion is low but as time goes by it builds up strength.
After 10 years of experience with Gravel Emulsion in urban paving with a single base layer and a thin wearing course. Cores were extracted on the field to evaluate the resilient Brazilian modulus (stress applied onto a cylindrical specimen).
As we found very good results, we decided to evaluate this material in simulating in a multilayer system in a state of stress of a design of an existing road, replacing the crushed rock base by Gravel Emulsion base. In this evaluation the repeated triaxial load test was used and the results were modeled using the Fepave2 (nonlinear elastic program) to check out the performance of both material and its fatigue life parameters.