Stabilization of subgrade soil using reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP)

Abstract

A good road network is a basic infrastructure required for rapid economic growth, and this road network fails mainly due to weak subgrade, less infiltration capacity, landslide etc., Due to awareness to a greener environment, ecological concern has become a global issue and all industries are trying to use of eco-friendly materials and technology. Use of reclaimed asphalt material has become popular in the construction industry. At present, one of the key challenges is to concentrate on reusing natural resources for future generations while bringing a balance between environmental preservation and costs. In this case study, an attempt is being made to stabilize the subgrade soil using Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) for the subgrade soil collected from the Sampaje region near Madikeri on NH 275 towards Mangalore where road failure was observed. Qualification tests were conducted on the collected materials. The characteristics of the materials collected like, gradation, modified Proctor compaction test, CBR, Specific gravity, Atterberg’s limits, Tri-axial tests were conducted. From this study, the penetration resistance of subgrade soil is maximum when added with 25% of RAP, which could be used to stabilize subgrade soil.