The performance of an experimental road constructed from quarry waste

摘要

Brazil presents some construction and maintenance problems in its road networks. One of these difficulties is the scarcity of granular materials permitted for the traditional specifications in the composition of the base layers of flexible pavements. When this type of material is available, its exploitation could also be problematic due to environmental constraints. Consequently, it is necessary to study alternative materials that could substitute for granular materials, and present the technical and economical viability of those substitutes. One example of these material substitutes is quarry waste, which has the additional advantage of eliminating the need for stockpiling. This paper illustrates the utility of quarry waste located in the city of Brasilia (the Federal District of Brazil), as the component of the base layer of a low volume traffic road. The main characteristics of this quarry waste were identified in laboratory tests, and for 4 years, field tests were done on this experimental road. From this data, it can be observed that the quarry waste base presented satisfactory initial results, but with time, as a function of the great fluctuation of the rainfall from the dry to the rainy months, the controlled parameters worsened.