In-situ structural analysis of lightweight cellular concrete subbase flexible pavements

Abstract

This study in Canada aimed to improve the performance of flexible pavements by comparing the in-place behavior of Lightweight Cellular Concrete (LCC) at three densities with traditional unbound granular material. The research investigated the effect of traffic load and testing temperature on pavement response and determined the structural layer coefficient for the 475 kg/m³ density. The structural layer coefficient for the LCC subbase at this density was 0.22. Results showed that pavements with LCC had over three times less stress at the top of the subgrade compared to the conventional granular material. The Weslea software, which uses a multi-layer elastic theory, appeared to overestimate stress responses for LCC pavements, and the research suggested a prediction modification for more accurate results. Overall, the study demonstrated that lightweight cellular concrete with different densities could improve pavement performance.

KEYWORDS:

• Lightweight cellular concrete
• stresses
• strain
• subbase
• structural number
• traffic loads

Acknowledgement

The authors of this research gratefully acknowledge CEMATRIX (CANADA) Inc, the Region of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and Centre for Pavement and Transportation Technology (CPATT), the University of Waterloo for supporting this research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).