Evaluation of mechanical performance of cement–bitumen-treated materials through laboratory and in-situ testing

Nowadays, cold recycling is considered as a common road construction/maintenance technique and no longer as an alternative technique to the traditional ones. The difficulties in simulating the production and construction processes in laboratory have led researchers to practise full-scale testing of mixtures. This paper presents a comprehensive evaluation of the mechanical performance of a cement–bitumen-treated materials (CBTMs) containing 80% of reclaimed asphalt. After a preliminary mix design, the mixture was produced in a mix plant and laid down on two trial sections with different layer thicknesses (15 and 20 cm) over a homogeneous subgrade. The mixture was sampled before laying, compacted and characterised through indirect tensile test and indirect tensile stiffness modulus test. The same tests were carried out on cores taken from the trial sections. Light weight deflectometer and falling weight deflectometer surveys were performed on the trial sections to evaluate the performances of the CBTMs.