International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology (IJEAT)

ISSN: 2249-8958, Volume-8 Issue-5, June 2019

Stabilization of Subgrade Soil using Reclaimed

Asphalt Pavement (RAP)
Ahmed Arqam Ruknuddin, Nischitha C S, Chethan L, Manoj P

when questionable soils are encountered, removal and

Abstract: A good road network is a basic infrastructure replacement with better materials are usually employed.
required for rapid economic growth, and this road network fails Stabilization is another method which is employed to improve
mainly due to weak subgrade, less infiltration capacity, landslide the strength of the weak soil. Stabilization of subgrade
etc., Due to awareness to a greener environment, ecological provides more uniform support compared to remove and
concern has become a global issue and all industries are trying to
replace, for the pavement structure [6, 11]. Reclaimed
use of eco-friendly materials and technology. Use of reclaimed
asphalt material has become popular in the construction industry. Asphalt Pavement (RAP) is an emerging technique in India,
At present, one of the key challenges is to concentrate on reusing and the use of RAP is gradually gaining popularity. RAP
natural resources for future generations while bringing a balance addition is new technique in which aggregates from an
between environmental preservation and costs. In this case study, existing pavement are reused in the construction of a new
an attempt is being made to stabilize the subgrade soil using pavement. Using RAP does not only help in minimizing the
Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) for the subgrade soil cost of the project but also ensures proper utilization of
collected from the Sampaje region near Madikeri on NH 275 resources. The other benefits of using recycled materials are
towards Mangalore where road failure was observed.
Qualification tests were conducted on the collected materials. The
increasing the life cycle of pavement material, reducing
characteristics of the materials collected like, gradation, modified energy consumption and reduce greenhouse gas emission and
Proctor compaction test, CBR, Specific gravity, Atterberg’s limits, also the carbon footprints of road. Due to the scarcity of
Tri-axial tests were conducted. From this study, the penetration high-quality quarry aggregates, alternative recycled
resistance of subgrade soil is maximum when added with 25% of aggregates are in use, large quantities of Reclaimed Asphalt
RAP, which could be used to stabilize subgrade soil. Pavement materials are produced during highway
Index Terms: Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement, Subgrade Soil, maintenance and construction. A part of this can be used in
Stabilization. new hot mix asphalt concrete and rest is available for other
uses. If these materials could be reused in base or sub-base of
I. INTRODUCTION the roads, resulting in minimization of environmental impact,
reduce the waste stream and also transportation costs
India has a road network of over 59,03,293 kilometers, the
connected with road maintenance and construction activities.
second largest road network in the world after the USA. Most
About 25% - 30% of the cost of the project is reduced if these
of the roads are bituminous surfaced pavements. These roads
recycled materials are used at the same site [5].
require regular maintenance work. During this resurfacing or
rehabilitation process, Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) is
II. MATERIALS AND METHODOLOGY
generated in large quantities. About 40% - 50% of RAP is
recycled and used in hot mix asphalt plant and remaining is
A. Materials
left unused and dumped in landfill sites. If these left RAP
materials are used, results in waste management and reduce Subgrade Soil
the environmental impact [4]. The traffic loads are The subgrade soil used in this research work was procured
transmitted to the subgrade through the base and subbase from the NH 275, Sampaje village, Madikeri taluk, Kodagu
layers of a pavement, without causing undue stress or damage district, Karnataka (12°30'35.5"N 75°31'22.2"E). The
to the subgrade. For the construction of these layers, the subgrade soil was collected and sealed in plastic bags for use
materials used must have specified properties in terms of in the laboratory. The collected sample was air-dried and
strength and durability. During construction mechanical pulverized into the required particle size for various tests.
methods such as rolling are used to improve the stability and

Revised Manuscript Received on June 29, 2019.

Ahmed Arqam Ruknuddin, Department of Civil Engineering,
Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering, Mysore, India.
Nischitha C S, Department of Civil Engineering, Vidyavardhaka College
of Engineering, Mysore, India.
Chethan L, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering,
Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering, Mysore, India.
Manoj P, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering,
Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering, Mysore, India.

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 Stabilization of Subgrade Soil using Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP)

Laboratory, Department of Civil Engineering, VVCE,

Mysore.

Figure 1. Location of Sampling Point

Figure 2. Flowchart of Methodology
C. Tests Performed
RAP was added and blended with the subgrade soil with
varying proportions i.e., 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%. The
tests performed are as follows
• Modified Proctor Compaction Test
• California Bearing Ratio Test
• Tri-Axial Shear Strength Test

III. RESULTS AND ANALYSIS

Test Results on Subgrade Soil

The test results obtained on the characteristics of the subgrade
soil are tabulated in Table 1
Plate 1. Sampling Point
Table 1. Properties of Subgrade Soil
Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement Parameters Results
The RAP which was left unused was also collected from the Specific Gravity 2.3
same region where subgrade soil was collected. The RAP Liquid Limit (%) 39.2
materials are crushed into particle size passing 20mm sieve Plastic Limit Nil
before laboratory tests were carried out.
Optimum Moisture Content (%) 15.03
Maximum Dry Density (g/cc) 1.92
Maximum Bulk Density (g/cc) 2.21

Plate 2. Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement

B. Methodology
The methodology adopted in this research work is as per
“Bureau of Indian Standard” Specifications. All the
experiments were conducted in the Engineering Geotechnical

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Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering
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 International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology (IJEAT)
ISSN: 2249-8958, Volume-8 Issue-5, June 2019

indicating the less penetration due to heavy wheel load and

hence more stability. The variation between penetration
resistance and penetration are expressed in Figure 5.
Tri-Axial Test
The test results are as expressed in Figure 6. The shear stress
of soil sample without RAP is maximum when compared to a
shear stress of the samples with RAP; this variation in results
is may be due to the RAP size (20mm), which is responsible
for crack development.

Figure 3. Grain Size Distribution curve

Modified Proctor Compaction Test

The test results are tabulated in Table 2. The variation of the
maximum dry density (MDD) of subgrade soil with RAP is as
shown in Figure 4. The test was performed up to 25% addition
of RAP at an interval of 5%. Initially, the MDD value
decreased from 1.92g/cc to 1.79g/cc for 5% addition of RAP
content. Later it increases to 1.95g/cc at 25% RAP content.
The initial decrease in MDD after adding RAP is due to a
change in volume.

Table 2. Test Results of Modified Proctor Compaction

Particulars MDD (g/cc) OMC (%)
Subgrade Soil + 0% RAP 1.92 15.03
Subgrade Soil + 5% RAP 1.79 16.95
Subgrade Soil + 10% RAP 1.84 16.73
Subgrade Soil + 15% RAP 1.85 17.65
Subgrade Soil + 20% RAP 1.86 17.26
Subgrade Soil + 25% RAP 1.95 15.09

Figure 4. Variation of MDD

California Bearing Ratio Test

The test results are as tabulated in Table 3. The penetration
resistance increases with increase in RAP content thereby

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 Stabilization of Subgrade Soil using Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP)

Table 3. Test Results of CBR

CBR at 2.5mm CBR at 5mm CBR at 7.5mm CBR at 10mm
Particulars
penetration (%) penetration (%) penetration (%) penetration (%)

Subgrade Soil + 0% RAP 2.8 4.81 6.91 8.14

Subgrade Soil + 5% RAP 5.6 8.55 10.89 12.46

Subgrade Soil + 10% RAP 7.01 11.11 14.15 16.17

Subgrade Soil + 15% RAP 8.24 13.37 16.75 31.47

Subgrade Soil + 20% RAP 9.47 15.48 18.51 21.75

Subgrade Soil + 25% RAP 9.84 15.87 20.37 23.02

Figure 5. Penetration (mm) v/s Penetration Resistance (kg/cm2)

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 International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology (IJEAT)
ISSN: 2249-8958, Volume-8 Issue-5, June 2019

Figure 6. Variation of shear strength

2. on the mechanical properties of stabilized base via full - depth

IV. CONCLUSIONS reclamation”, ELSEVIER, PP 165-17
3. Alireza Mohammadinia, Arul Arulrajah, Suksun Horpibulsuk,
Avirut Chinkulkijniwat (2015), “Effect of fly ash on properties of
crushed brick and reclaimed asphalt pavement base/subbase
Based on the analysis made and results obtained, the applications”,
following conclusions are drawn, 4. Aysegul Gunes Seferoglu, Mehmet Tevfik Seferoglu, and
• Density increases with the addition of RAP which Muhammet Vefa Akpinar (2018), “Investigation of the Effect of
increases the stability Recycled Asphalt Pavement Material on Permeability and Bearing
Capacity in the Base Layer”, Volume 2018, Article ID 2860213, PP 1- 6
• Shear stress decreases with increase in RAP content, 5. Brajesh Mishra (2015), “A Study on Use of Reclaimed Asphalt
could be because of the particle size of RAP (20mm) Pavement (RAP) Materials in Flexible Pavements”, IJIRSET, vol. 4,
which was responsible for cracks development Issue 12,
• Penetration resistance increases with increase in RAP a. PP 12170-12177
content resulting in more stability 6. Jaspreet Singh, Jashanjot Singh, A K Duggal (2015), “A Review
Paper on Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP)”, IJMTER – 2015, PP
• If the pavement failure is due to the shear, smaller size 454 – 456
of RAP materials is used with minimal replacement 7. Joseph Ejelikwu Edeh, Manasseh Joel and Adamu Abubakar
• If the pavement failure is due to load, the maximum (2018), “Sugarcane bagasse ash stabilization of reclaimed asphalt
percentage of RAP can be added in order to increase pavement as highway material”, International Journal of Pavement
Engineering, DOI 10.1080/10298436.2018.1429609
the bearing capacity 8. Joshua Ochepo (2014), “Stabilization of laterite soil using reclaimed
asphalt pavement and sugarcane bagasse ash for pavement
The above-mentioned conclusions are with respect to construction”, volume 2 No. 4, PP 1 – 13
subgrade soil and RAP from a western Sampaje region, 9. Kongrat Nokkaew (2018), “Characterization of Recycled Aggregate
Karnataka, India. For further generalization, wide varieties of for use as Base Course Material”, volume 15, issue 48, PP 129 -136
soil and RAP possess different properties. The above 10. Md Mehedi Hasan, Md Rashadul Islam, Rafiqul A. Tarefder,
“Characterization of subgrade soil mixed with recycled asphalt
conclusions can be helpful for early understanding of the pavement”, volume 5, PP 207 – 214
effect of RAP in subgrade soil. 11. Menglim Hoy, Suksun Horpibulsuk, Arul Arulrajah and Abbas
Mohajerani, “Strength and Microstructural Study of Recycled Asphalt
V. ACKNOWLEDGMENT Pavement: Slag Geopolymer as a Pavement Base Material”, article ID
04018177, PP 1 – 11
It is our privilege to express our sincere gratitude to 12. Muhammad Arshad, Muhammad Farooq Ahmed (2017), “Potential
use of reclaimed asphalt pavement and recycled concrete aggregate in
Dr. DAYANANDA H S, Professor and Head, Department of base/subbase layers of flexible pavements”, ELSEVIER, volume 151,
Civil Engineering, Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering, PP 83 – 97
Mysore, for his valuable advice, constant guidance and 13. Nishantha Bandara (2015), “Pavement Subgrade Stabilization Using
Recycled Materials”, article ID 289985483, PP 605 – 616
encouragement during our research study. 14. Sambodh Adhikari, Mohammad J. Khattak and Bikash Adhikari
(2018), “Mechanical characteristics of Soil-RAP- Geopolymer mixtures
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1. Ali Reza Ghanizadeh, Morteza Rahrovan, Kazem Barkhordari
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Bafghi (2017), “The effect of cement and reclaimed asphalt pavement

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 Stabilization of Subgrade Soil using Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP)

AUTHORS PROFILE

Mr. AHMED ARQAM RUKNUDDIN is an

Undergraduate student in the Department of Civil
Engineering, Vidyavardhaka College of
Engineering, Mysore. His research interests
include Characterization of Subgrade soil and
Transportation Engineering.

Ms. NISCHITHA C S is an Undergraduate student

in the Department of Civil Engineering,
Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering, Mysore.
Her research interests include Transportation
Engineering

Mr. CHETHAN L is working as Assistant Professor

in the Department of Civil Engineering,
Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering, Mysore. He
has Two years of teaching experience. He pursued his
M-Tech., on Geotechnical Engineering in East west
institute of technology (EWIT), Bangalore. His areas
of interests for the research are Geotechnical
Engineering and Environmental Geotechnics.

Mr. MANOJ P is presently Assistant Professor in

the Dept. of Civil Engineering, Vidyavardhaka
College of Engineering, Mysore. He has 5 Years of
teaching experience. He has obtained his M-Tech in
Transportation Engineering and Management from
Siddaganga Institute of Technology, Tumkur. He is
a member of IRC, IEI, ISTE & TIE. His research
interests are in the field of Traffic Engineering and
Transport Planning

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