Use of recycled asphalt pavements as a quick, economical and simple solution to improve the serviceability of basic roads

Abstract

Road construction requires studies in different engineering specialties, most of the time requiring a large amount of equipment and qualified personnel, in order to provide the user with roads that have an appropriate design in terms of safety, durability and serviceability. Uniquely, a basic road is a fast and cost-effective alternative to unpaved roads with low traffic flow.  The objective is to propose a surfacing solution for basic roads using reclaimed asphalt materials (RAP) and an emulsion that allows adequate workability with traditional mixing, paving and compaction processes. The physical properties of RAP and its best dosage with different asphalt emulsions are evaluated. With the experimental results, a test course with two different emulsions is carried out to compare their performance on site. Subsequently, a test section is executed on a communal road in the region, to finally validate the experience acquired in a basic solution type maintenance on the Callejón Lo Salas road. From the analysis of empirical and practical results, it is concluded that it is possible to use RAP in a solution that is simple to implement, with low application costs and that nevertheless provides a new serviceability condition to users. In addition, the use of RAP offers an environmental benefit by taking advantage of this by-product, achieving a sustainable development of the routes to be intervened by reducing the extraction of increasingly scarce virgin aggregates.