Date of Award

Winter 2011

Project Type

Thesis

Program or Major

Civil Engineering

Degree Name

Master of Science

First Advisor

Jeffrey Melton

Abstract

Construction and demolition (C&D) waste makes up a significant portion of landfill waste every year. Building derived aggregate (BDA), is the inert component of C&D waste accounting for approximately 50% of C&D waste by weight. Because BDA is inert, it has the potential for use as a highway construction material. However, due to its variability, it has not been used on a large scale for highway construction, particularly as a result of concerns about the effects of brick under various loading and environmental conditions. Because of this the New Hampshire Department of Transportation has limited the amount of brick in crushed material to 5% by weight of total aggregate.

This research evaluated the affects of varying amounts of brick in BDA based on stiffness, bearing capacity, durability, and abrasion resistance. The test methods used to evaluate these properties were Repeat Load Triaxial, California Bearing Ratio, freeze-thaw, and Micro-Deval, respectively. Results were compared with accepted standards to determine if a limit should be placed on brick content in BDA. The results of this testing suggest that brick content has little to no effect on performance in proportions up to 20%. However, due to the national variability of C&D waste, the results from this research can only be considered valid for the Northeast.

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