Date of Award

Spring 2010

Project Type

Thesis

Program or Major

Civil Engineering

Degree Name

Master of Science

First Advisor

Jeffrey S Melton

Abstract

The US generates approximately 50 million tons of building derived aggregate (BDA) each year, and as the cost of natural materials increases, there is growing interest in using BDA in roadway construction. Comparison between natural aggregate and BDA is critical in determining the viability of such materials in roadway design. Current roadway design uses material stiffness as a primary input parameter, so material stiffness was used for comparison in this research.

Non-intrusive field stiffness testing was conducted using a Light Weight Falling Deflectometer (LWD) and compared to stiffness results from laboratory Resilient Modulus Triaxial (RMT) tests. In addition to stiffness testing, strength testing was done using the California Bearing Ratio (CBR) test. Results were used to verify existing correlations between the different methods. Comparison of the tests and materials showed that BDA has a higher stiffness than natural base materials and could be used in roadway design.

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