Stiffness Evolution of Granular Materials Stabilized with Foamed Bitumen and Cement

Abstract

From the literature, it is possible to find two trends regarding the stiffness evolution of foamed bitumen stabilized–recycled mixtures. The first trend indicates that once the foamed bitumen mix reaches a constant value because of the curing process, the stiffness decreases with time because of load cycles. The second trend indicates that stiffness remains constant after the curing process. In this research, the stiffness evolution of foamed bitumen mixes stabilized with different bitumen and cement contents was studied. The stiffness was measured by using the indirect tensile fatigue test. Results indicated that once the foamed bitumen mix reached a constant value because of the curing process, stiffness decreased or remained constant depending on the stress level applied to the foamed bitumen layer. If the stress level is lower than a specific value, the stiffness of the mix will remain constant at a value extremely close to the initial stiffness. If the stress level is greater than a specific value, the stiffness of the mix will decrease gradually. In addition, the reduction rate of the stiffness will be greater with higher stress level. The analysis of results from mixes with different bitumen and cement contents allows identification of the effect of both stabilizing agents in the long-term stiffness evolution.