Feasibility Study on Building-Derived Concrete Debris for Use in Highway Construction

Abstract

The current American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials standard on crushed concrete in base applications (M 319-02) allows up to 5 % brick by mass, and more with the approval of the engineer; however, in some regions the brick content may be greater than 10 %. More than 41 states allow the use of crushed concrete in highway applications, but only a handful allow the use of building derived concrete (BDC) or mixed stream crushed concrete. Barriers to increasing the appropriate use of BDC in highway applications include a lack of data comparing BDC properties and performance to natural aggregates, as well as data that pavement engineers can use for design. This research has focused on characterizing BDC that was screened to meet New Hampshire Department of Transportation specifications. The gradation, optimum water content, unit weight, and resilient modulus were measured for the BDC and for the control materials, which were a crushed stone and a sand. The resilient modulus was measured using both a laboratory triaxial cell, and a light falling weight deflectometer (LWD) in a test pit. The resilient modulus of the BDC exceeded that of the control materials as measured in the laboratory and using the LWD. In addition, the laboratory resilient modulus showed good correlation with the LWD stiffness. These results suggest that BDC would perform as well as natural aggregates in base course applications.