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Design Guidelines - Cellular Concrete as a Pavement Subbase

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See the recent engineering paper citing some recent test sites;

[url=https://]https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4591/36/1/7[/url]

Some Highlights;

Construction and Design Guidelines for Lightweight Cellular Concrete as Pavement Subbase Material †

by 

Abimbola Grace Oyeyi

 1,

Frank Mi-Way Ni

 2,* and

Susan Tighe

 3

 

1

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada

2

Department of Civil & Coastal Engineering, University of Florida, 1949 Stadium Rd., Gainesville, FL 32611, USA

3

Department of Civil Engineering, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, John Hodgins Engineering Building, Room 301, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L7, Canada

*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

†

Presented at the Second International Conference on Maintenance and Rehabilitation of Constructed Infrastructure Facilities, Honolulu, HI, USA, 16–19 August 2023.

Eng. Proc. 2023, 36(1), 7; https://doi.org/10.3390/engproc2023036007

Published: 30 June 2023

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The Second International Conference on Maintenance and Rehabilitation of Constructed Infrastructure Facilities (MAIREINFRA2))

Abstract

Lightweight cellular concrete (LCC) has gained attention in the pavement industry as a potential subbase material due to its workability, freeze–thaw resistance, and thermal insulation properties. Research has shown that LCC has sufficient strength to support pavement structures and reduce subgrade pressures. However, a successful application requires the consideration of construction provisions, such as equipment and quality control, and design parameters, such as strength requirements and structural coefficients. This paper provides recommendations for using LCC as a pavement subbase material, including when and how to design pavement with it.

1. Introduction

Lightweight cellular concrete (LCC) or foamed concrete has gained attention in pavement industries due to its low density of 375 to 1600 kg/m3 and homogenous structure of air bubbles throughout the mixture [1,2]. Studies have extensively examined its mechanical properties like compressive strength and elasticity modulus [3,4,5,6]. LCC has been successfully used as an alternative subbase to unbind granular material to solve the differential settlement on roadways in various locations in Canada and around the world [7,8,9,10,11]. LCC is proving to be an excellent alternative for pavement applications with improved bearing capacity [12,13]. However, there remains a requirement for a comprehensive assessment and set of recommendations for the incorporation of LCC into the design and construction of flexible pavements in Canada.