Type of Document Master's Thesis Author Austin, Aaron Matthew Author's Email Address firstname.lastname@example.org URN etd-04122009-173747 Title Fundamental Characterization of Unbound Base Course Materials under Cyclic Loading Degree Master of Science in Civil Engineering (M.S.C.E.) Department Civil & Environmental Engineering Advisory Committee
Advisor Name Title Louay Mohammad Committee Chair Keywords
- Characterization of unbound materials
Date of Defense 2009-02-20 Availability unrestricted AbstractABSTRACT
Pavements are a layered system each layer distinguished by different materials as required by traffic and subgrade conditions. A base course is an intermediate layer constructed of high quality stone aggregates: quality based on physical properties such as gradation, hardness, and texture. Although indicative of performance, physical properties do not directly measure performance. This thesis presents the results of a comprehensive experimental testing program that was conducted to examine the behavior of unbound granular base materials under cyclic loading and to evaluate the effect of the stress level and moisture content on strain behavior. Three base materials, namely granite, limestone and sandstone, were selected. Different physical properties tests were conducted on the materials considered. In addition, static and repeated load triaxial (RLT) tests were performed in this study. Three different types of RLT tests were used including: resilient modulus, single-stage, and multi-stage RLT test. The single-stage and multi-stage RLT tests results were analyzed within the framework of the shakedown theory. The results of this study showed that for resilient modulus the materials preformed the following, with the materials listed highest to lowest: limestone, granite and sandstone; while for permanent deformation, the materials were listed highest to lowest: sandstone, limestone and granite. In addition, the results demonstrated that the change in slope (m) of shakedown limits with the degree of saturation was more pronounced at lower stress levels (elastic limit) than that at higher stress levels (plastic limit). Finally, the results showed a significant effect of degree of saturation on the intercept of the shakedown limits at both low and high stress levels. The change in intercept was greater for limestone than sandstone for changes in degree of saturation.
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