Assessment for Sustainable Use of Quarry Fines as Pavement Construction Materials: Part I—Description of Basic Quarry Fine Properties

Abstract

As a secondary material, quarry fines are a valuable material to be reused for many purposes in civil engineering projects. The aggregate source depletion, especially the lack of high quality aggregates as expected in the future, as well as the demand for a carbon-neutral society and circular economy, also promotes the high-volume utilization of secondary materials such as quarry fines. The aim of this study is to do a feasibility assessment including a series of laboratory tests and analyses to evaluate the properties of quarry fine materials to determine if this type of material could be qualified as pavement construction material in high volume. The gradation information obtained from both sieving and hydrometer tests indicates the frost susceptibility of unstabilized quarry fines, therefore frost heave tests were performed and which further suggest the necessity of stabilization to improve its properties for pavement applications, especially in structural layers such as base, subbase, or filter layers. Some other general information and properties of unbound quarry fines, especially regarding their validity for application in pavement engineering are also investigated and discussed.