Alternative material used in pavement

Road construction materials are one of the most essential elements of a road. The material
that is used to make the road determines its cost, durability, and many other factors.

There are many diverse types of road construction materials that can be used for roads: asphalt and
concrete are the most popular options. However, the use of alternative materials for road construction
is becoming more popular. Alternative road materials can be cheaper and more environmentally
friendly. The use of these materials may also benefit the economy if they are domestically sourced.

The use of alternative materials is significant from both the ecological and economic perspectives.
Ecologically, the use of alternative materials means a lesser need for the exploitation of natural
resources and the quantity of waste accumulated in landfills is reduced.

eg: natural stones , manufactured sand, foamed blast furnace slag etc

Objectives of highway pavements

The following are the objectives:

• The surface of roadway should be stable and non-yielding in order to allow the heavy wheel
loads of road traffic with least rolling resistance

• The road surface should be even along the longitudinal profile to enable the fast moving
traffic to move safely and comfortably at design speed.

• Unevenness and undulations should be avoided. Otherwise cause vertical oscillation in fast
moving automobiles, increasing in fuel consumptions, wear and tear and operational cost of vehicle.

• Also cause discomfort and fatigue to passenger of fast moving vehicles.

• Thus pavement consisting of few layers of pavement materials is constructed over a prepared
subgrade to serve as a carriage way. This will depend on thickness and characteristics of pavement
layer.

• There will be a small amount of temporary deformations even on good pavement surface due
to heavy loads. Therefore the pavement should be constructed and designed to keep this elastic
deformations of pavement within permissible limits, so that pavement can sustain large number of
repeated load application during design life.

• It is desirable to construct the pavement well above the maximum level of ground water to
keep the subgrade dry during rainy season.

Components of flexible pavement

The various components of road structure (Flexible Pavement) are as follows:

 Sub-grade or Formation

 Sub-base

 Base Course or Foundation Course

 Base Coat or Intermediate Course

 Wearing Course

Seal Coat

 It is a thin surface treatment used to water-proof the surface and to provide skid resistance.

Tack Coat

 It is a very light application of asphalt, usually asphalt emulsion diluted with water.

 It provides proper bonding between two layers of binder course and must be thin, uniformly
cover the entire surface, and set very fast.

Prime Coat

 It is an application of low viscous cutback bitumen to an absorbent surface like granular bases
on which binder layer is placed.

 It provides bonding between two layers. Unlike tack coat, prime coat penetrates into the layer
below, plugs the voids, and forms a water tight surface.

SURFACE COURSE

It is the layer directly in contact with traffic loads and generally contains superior quality materials.
They are usually constructed with dense graded asphalt concrete (AC).

The functions and requirements of this layer are:

 It provides characteristics such as friction, smoothness, drainage, etc.

 It will prevent the entrance of excessive quantities of surface water into the underlying base,
sub-base and sub-grade

 It must be tough to resist the distortion under traffic and provide a smooth and skid- resistant
riding surface.

 It must be water proof to protect the entire base and sub-grade from the weakening effect of
water

BINDER COURSE

 This layer provides the bulk of the asphalt concrete structure.

 Its chief purpose is to distribute load to the base course.

 The binder course generally consists of aggregates having less asphalt and doesn't require
quality as high as the surface course, so replacing a part of the surface course by the binder course
results in more economical design

BASE COURSE

 It is the layer of material immediately beneath the surface of binder course and it provides
additional load distribution and contributes to the sub-surface drainage.
 It may be composed of crushed stone, crushed slag, and other untreated or stabilized materials

Functions of Base Course:

 To withstand high shearing stresses develop due to the impact of traffic on the wearing
course.

 To act as foundation to the pavement, this transfers load over the pavement surface to the sub-
base and sub-grade lying underneath.

SUB - BASE COURSE

 It is the layer of material beneath the base course and the primary functions are to provide
structural support, improve drainage and reduce the intrusion of fines from the sub-grade in the
pavement structure

 If the base course is open graded, then the sub-base course with more fines can serve as filler
between sub-grade and the base course

 A sub-base course is not always needed or used.

 For example, a pavement constructed over a high quality, stiff sub-grade may not need the
additional features offered by a sub-base course. In such situations, sub-base course may not be
provided

SUB – GRADE

The top soil or sub-grade is a layer of natural soil prepared to receive the stresses from the layers
above.

It is essential that at no time soil sub-grade is overstressed

It should be compacted to the desirable density, near the optimum moisture content

CONCRETE SLAB / SURFACE COURSE

 The concrete slab is the top most layer of rigid pavement which is in direct contact with the
vehicular loads.

 This is also called as surface course.

 It is water resistant and prevents the water infiltration into the base course.

 It offers friction to the vehicles to provide skid resistance.

 The thickness of concrete slab is kept between 150 mm to 300 mm.

GRANULAR SUB BASE OR STABILIZED SUB BASE COURSE

 It is the third layer from the top and is in contact with the subgrade soil and base course.

 It is constructed by using low quality aggregates than the base course but they should be
better quality than subgrade.
 Generally sub base course is not required when the traffic loading is light but when the
loading exceeds 100000 pounds / 45000 Kgs it should be constructed.

 Its primary function is to provide support for the top layers and it also serves as frost action
controller and prevents the intrusion of fines from subgrade to top layers.

 The drainage facility will also improve when there is a sub base course.

Comparison between flexible and rigid pavement

Points Flexible pavement Rigid Pavement

1) It consists of a series 1) It consists of one
of layers with the highest course PCC slab of
quality materials at or relatively high bending
near the surface resistance

2) It has low or negligible 2) It has note-worthy

flexural strength flexural strength
3) It is flexible in their 3) It is stiffer than
structural action of loads flexible pavement
4) It reflects the 4) It is able to bridge over
Design of construction
deformation of subgrade localized failures and
& subsequent layers on areas of inadequate
the surface(ie it has self- support(due to slab
healing power) action)
5) Its stability depends 5) Its structural capacity
upon aggregate interlock is supplied by the
particle friction and pavement slab itself by
cohesion beam action

6) Pavement design is 6) Flexural strength of

greatly influenced by concrete is major factor
subgrade strength for design and not for
subgrade strength
7) It functions by way of 7) It distributes load over
load distributed through a wide area of subgrade
component layers because of its rigidity and
high modulus of
elasticity.
2) Effect of loading
a) Normal Undergoes deformation Resists deformation and
under load acts as a cantilever beam
b) Excessive loading Local depression takes A crack on the surface
place due to rupture
3) Temperature effect No stress produced Stresses produced
depend on variation of
temperature
4) Design precision Mostly by using empirical Mainly by structural
design charts .Also semi analysis(ie using elastic
empirical and theoretical theory assuming
used. pavement as an elastic
plate resting over an
elastic foundation)
5)Life of pavement 10 to 20 yrs(generally 40 yrs ( for well-designed
taken 20 yrs) concrete slabs)
6) Maintenance cost More (30,000- 5000-10,000/km/yr
100,000/km/yr)
 Need annual maintenance Need very little
maintenance
7) Initial cost Less than rigid pavement more
8)Stage construction Adopted especially for Do not fit into stage
low volume roads construction
9) Surface character Riding quality always not Riding quality assured
assured
10)Penetration of water Not impervious Practically pervious
except at joints
11)Glare & night visibility Free from glare but Glare under sunlight
need more street lights (coloured cement can
reduce the glare)
12) Overall economy on less More in longer
life cycle basis

Define aging of bitumen?

Bitumen, like any organic matter, is affected by factors like presence of oxygen, ultraviolet
rays and changes in temperature.

These factors are responsible for hardening of bitumen and change in viscoelastic components of
bitumen.

Hardening results in:

 Decrease in penetration value

 Increase in softening point temperature and
 Increase in penetration index (PI).

For increased life of bituminous pavement it is essential that excessive hardness does not take place.
This is called aging of bitumen.

Rolling Thin Film Oven Test Method

Rolling Thin Film Oven (RTFO) Test measures the effect of heat and air on a moving film of hot mix
asphalt binder, simulating short-term aging that occurs during production and paving operations. This
is important for investigating and predicting early age HMA pavement behaviour and distress.

RTFO Test Procedure

 A sample of asphalt binder is heated and dispensed into special glass specimen bottles
 The bottles are mounted horizontally in a carousel in the oven
 Bottles are rotated at 15rpm for 85 minutes as a jet of 325°F heated air is directed into them
 At the completion of the RTFO test, the mass change, viscosity, and other rheological
properties are measured
 Measurements are then compared to values from unheated samples

Factors considered

 Oxidative hardening
 Hardening due to loss of volatiles:
 Physical hardening:
 Hardening of bitumen during storage
  Hardening of bitumen on road

Difference between tar, bitumen ,Asphalt

Definition: Gradation

The particle size distribution of an aggregate as determined by sieve analysis is termed as gradation of
aggregates. If all the particles of an aggregate are of uniform size, the compacted mass will contain
more voids whereas aggregate comprising particles of various sizes will give a mass with lesser voids.

The particle size distribution of a mass of aggregate should be such that the smaller particles fill the
voids between the larger particles. The proper grading of an aggregate produces dense concrete and
needs less quantity of fine aggregate and cement waste, therefore, it is essential that coarse and fine
aggregates be well graded to produce quality concrete.

Grading limits and maximum aggregate size are specified because these properties affect the amount
of aggregate used as well as cement and water requirements, workability, pumpability, and durability
of concrete. In general, if the water-cement ratio is chosen correctly, a wide range in grading can be
used without a major effect on strength.

The Grading Curve of Aggregates

The grading of aggregates is represented in the form of a curve or an S-CURVE. The curve showing
the cumulative percentages of the material passing the sieves represented on the ordinate with the
sieve openings to the logarithmic scale represented on the abscissa is termed as Grading Curve. The
grading curve for a particular sample indicates whether the grading of a given sample conforms to that
specified, or it is too coarse or too fine, or deficient in a particular size.
Soil stabilization

The biological, chemical or mechanical adjustment of engineering properties of soil is known as soil
stabilization. Soil stabilization is a technique used in civil engineering to modify and improve the
engineering properties of soils. The term soil stabilization means the improvement of the stability or
bearing power of the soil by use of controlled compaction, proportioning and the addition of suitable
admixture or stabilizers. Stabilization deals with physical, physico-chemical and chemical methods to
make the stabilized soil serve its purpose as engineering material. Shear strength, permeability,
compressibility, durability, and plasticity are examples of these properties.

Objectives of Soil Stabilization

There are different objectives for this, which include:

 Substituting poor-quality soils with aggregates with better engineering properties.

 Strengthening of the soil, and its bearing capacity.

 Waterproofing is used to preserve natural or man-made buildings.

 To encourage the use of waste geo materials in building construction.

 To improve permeability characteristics.

 To enhance unfavorable soil properties such as excessive swelling or shrinkage, high

plasticity, and so on.

 To make use of inferior quality local materials.

Desirable characteristics of aggregate as a pavement material

Strength

The aggregates used in top layers are subjected to (i) Stress action due to traffic wheel load, (ii) Wear
and tear, (iii) crushing. For a high quality pavement, the aggregates should possess high resistance to
crushing, and to withstand the stresses due to traffic wheel load.

Hardness
The aggregates used in the surface course are subjected to constant rubbing or abrasion due to moving
traffic. The aggregates should be hard enough to resist the abrasive action caused by the movements
of traffic. The abrasive action is severe when steel tyred vehicles moves over the aggregates exposed
at the top surface.

Toughness

Resistance of the aggregates to impact is termed as toughness. Aggregates used in the pavement
should be able to resist the effect caused by the jumping of the steel tyred wheels from one particle to
another at different levels causes severe impact on the aggregates.

Shape of aggregates

Aggregates which happen to fall in a particular size range may have rounded, cubical, angular, flaky
or elongated particles. It is evident that the flaky and elongated particles will have less strength and
durability when compared with cubical, angular or rounded particles of the same aggregate. Hence too
flaky and too much elongated aggregates should be avoided as far as possible.

Adhesion with bitumen

The aggregates used in bituminous pavements should have less affinity with water when compared
with bituminous materials; otherwise the bituminous coating on the aggregate will be stripped off in
presence of water.

Durability

The property of aggregates to withstand adverse action of weather is called soundness. The aggregates
are subjected to the physical and chemical action of rain and bottom water, impurities there-in and
that of atmosphere, hence it is desirable that the road aggregates used in the construction should be
sound enough to withstand the weathering action

Freedom from deleterious particles

Specifications for aggregates used in bituminous mixes usually require the aggregates to be clean,
tough and durable in nature and free from excess amount of flat or elongated pieces, dust, clay balls
and other objectionable material. Similarly aggregates used in Portland cement concrete mixes must
be clean and free from deleterious substances such as clay lumps, silt and other organic impurities.

Tests of aggregate for judging the suitability

In order to decide the suitability of the aggregate for use in pavement construction, following tests are
carried out:

• Crushing test

• Abrasion test

• Impact test

• Soundness test

• Shape test
• Specific gravity and water absorption test

• Bitumen adhesion test

Crushing test

A pavement material can fail by crushing under compressive stress. A test is standardized by IS: 2386
part-IV and used to determine the crushing strength of aggregates. The aggregate crushing value
provides a relative measure of resistance to crushing under gradually applied crushing load. The test
consists of subjecting the specimen of aggregate in standard mould to a compression test under
standard load conditions.

Procedure:

• Dry aggregates passing through 12.5 mm sieves and retained 10 mm sieves are filled in a
cylindrical measure of 11.5 mm diameter and 18 cm height in three layers.

• Each layer is tampered 25 times with at standard tamping rod.

• The test sample is weighed and placed in the test cylinder in three layers each layer being
tampered again.

• The specimen is subjected to a compressive load of 40 tonnes gradually applied at the rate of
4 tonnes per minute.

• Then crushed aggregates are then sieved through 2.36 mm sieve and weight of passing
material W2 is expressed as percentage of the weight of the total sample (W1) which is the aggregate
crushing value.

Specifications:

A value less than 10 signifies an exceptionally strong aggregate while above 35 would normally be
regarded as weak aggregates.

Abrasion test

Abrasion test is carried out to test the hardness property of aggregates and to decide whether they are
suitable for different pavement construction works.

Los Angeles abrasion test is a preferred one for carrying out the hardness property and has been
standardized in India (IS: 2386 part-IV). The principle of Los Angeles abrasion test is to find the
percentage wear due to relative rubbing action between the aggregate and steel balls used as abrasive
charge.

Procedure:

• Los Angeles machine consists of circular drum of internal diameter 700 mm and length 520
mm mounted on horizontal axis enabling it to be rotated.
• An abrasive charge consisting of cast iron spherical balls of 48 mm diameters and weight
340-445 g is placed in the cylinder along with the aggregates.

• The number of the abrasive spheres varies according to the grading of the sample.

• The quantity of aggregates to be used depends upon the gradation and usually ranges from 5-
10 kg.

• The cylinder is then locked and rotated at the speed of 30-33 rpm for a total of 500 -1000
revolutions depending upon the gradation of aggregates.

• After specified revolutions, the material is sieved through 1.7 mm sieve and passed fraction is
expressed as percentage total weight of the sample.

• This value is called Los Angeles abrasion value.

Specifications:

A maximum value of 40 percent is allowed for WBM base course in Indian conditions. For
bituminous concrete, a maximum value of 35 percent is specified.

Impact test

The aggregate impact test is carried out to evaluate the resistance to impact of aggregates.

Procedure:

• Aggregates passing 12.5 mm sieve and retained on 10 mm sieve is filled in a cylindrical steel
cup of internal dia 10.2 mm and depth 5 cm which is attached to a metal base of impact testing
machine.

• The material is filled in 3 layers where each layer is tamped for 25numbers of blows.

• Metal hammer of weight 13.5 to 14 Kg is arranged to drop with a free fall of 38.0 cm by
vertical guides and the test specimen is subjected to 15 numbers of blows.

• The crushed aggregate is allowed to pass through 2.36 mm IS sieve.

• And the impact value is measured as percentage of aggregates passing sieve (W2) to the total
weight of the sample (W1).

Specifications:

Aggregates to be used for wearing course, the impact value shouldn't exceed 30 percent. For
bituminous macadam the maximum permissible value is 35 percent. For Water bound macadam base
courses the maximum permissible value defined by IRC is 40 percent.

Soundness test
Soundness test is intended to study the resistance of aggregates to weathering action, by conducting
accelerated weathering test cycles. The Porous aggregates subjected to freezing and thawing is likely
to disintegrate prematurely. To ascertain the durability of such aggregates, they are subjected to an
accelerated soundness test as specified in IS:2386 part-V.

Procedure:

• Aggregates of specified size are subjected to cycles of alternate wetting in a saturated solution
of either sodium sulphate or magnesium sulphate for 16 - 18 hours and then dried in oven at 1050 -
110o C to a constant weight.

• After five cycles, the loss in weight of aggregates is determined by sieving out all undersized
particles and weighing.

Specifications:

And the loss in weight should not exceed 12 percent when tested with sodium sulphate and 18 percent
with magnesium sulphate solution.

Shape Test:

The shape tests give only a rough idea of the relative shapes of aggregates. The shape test of
aggregates determines the shape and size of particle. Flaky and elongated particles should be avoided
in pavement construction, particularly in surface course. The particle shape of the aggregate mass is
determined by the percentage of flaky and elongated particles in it. Rounded, elongated and flaky
aggregates offer good workability but less bond strength and mechanical strength.

There two terminologies related to the shape of aggregates and its test.

Flakiness Index

Elongation index

Aggregates are called Flaky & Elongated aggregates when its length is larger than its width and width
is larger than its thickness.

i.e. length>width>thickness.

Flaky & elongated aggregates are not suitable for concreting. It does not form a very good bond with
concrete. These are generally obtained from poorly crushed rocks.

Procedure:

The flakiness index (Thickness gauge) is defined as the, percentage of aggregates by weight whose
least dimension is less than 0.6 times than mean size.

The Elongation index (Length Gauge) is defined as the, percentage of aggregates by weight whose
larger dimension (generally length) is 1.8 times more than mean size.

• Sieve the entire sample through the IS sieves (63, 50 40, 31.5, 25, 20, 16, 12.5,10 and
6.3mm).

• Take the minimum of 200 pieces of each fraction for testing and weigh them.
• For Flaky materials, gauge the fraction for thickness on thickness gauge.

• Weigh the flaky material passing through the thickness gauge.

• For elongated materials, gauge the fraction for length gauge.

• Weigh the elongated materials retained on length gauge.

Flakiness Index = (X1+ X2+…..) / (W1 + W2 + ….) X 100

Elongation Index = (Y1 + Y2 + …) / (W1 + W2 + ….) X 100

Specifications:

Flaky & elongated aggregates are not suitable for concreting. It does not form a very good bond with
concrete. These are generally obtained from poorly crushed rocks.

Thus avoid this kind of aggregates in pavement as well.

IRC recommendations for maximum limits of flakiness index are as given

No: Type of pavement Maximum limits of flakiness index, %

1) Bituminous carpet 30

(2) Bituminous / Asphaltic concrete 25

(3) Bituminous macadam 15

Angularity

It is the absence of roundness. An aggregate particle, which is more rounded, is less angular and vice
versa.

ANGULARITY NUMBER

Angularity number of an aggregate is the amount (to the higher whole number) by which the
percentage of voids in it after compacting in a prescribed manner exceeds 33.

Where, “33” is the percentage of volume of voids, in a perfectly rounded aggregate. “67” is the
percentage of volume of solids in a perfectly rounded aggregate.
The value of angularity number generally lies between 0 & 11. In road construction angularity number
of 7 – 10 is generally preferred.

Significance

• The degree of packing of particles of single sized aggregate depends upon the angularity of
aggregate.

• The angularity of the aggregate can be estimated from the properties of voids in a sample of
aggregate compacted in a specified manner.

• The angularity number ranges from 0 for a highly rounded grave to about 11 for freshly
crushed angular aggregates.

• Higher the angularity number, more angular and less workable is the concrete mix

What are the desirable properties of subgrade soil as a highway material?

1.Stability:

 Sub grade soils must have sufficient resistance to permanent deformation under traffic loads.
 The soil with high stability provides excellent subgrade.
 It should have the property of resilient and should be able to regain its original position after
the movement of vehicle load

2.Incompressibility:
  Important property to avoid differential settlement of soil.
 The finished surface of the sub grade should be well compacted so that it prevents
compressive under heavy traffic load and provides good support to road pavement.
 Essential in embankment construction.

3.Durability:

 Subgrade soil is the most important component of road pavement.

 If the sub grade is weak, it affects the durability of the road pavement, hence the bearing
capacity of sub grade soil should be sufficient for long term durability.

4.Drain ability:

 Drain ability is also an important property of the sub grade.

 The sub grade must have excellent drain capacity otherwise it affects the strength of the
pavement.
 Good drainage is necessary so as to prevent excessive moisture retention and minimize
potential frost action.

5.Ease of compaction:

 Sub grade soils must have good compacting properties.

 A well-compacted subgrade surface increases the strength and durability of road pavements.
 Due to ease of compaction ensures high density and strength.
 Sub grade soils must have resistance to weathering therefore retain the desired support.

Factors on which the strength characteristics of soil depend are:

 Soil type
 Moisture content
 Dry density
 Internal structure of the soil
 Type and mode of stress applications

Due to diversity in the soil types and non –homogenous nature of soil, the problem of predicting
stress-strain relationship of soil is difficult. Though many theories of failures are known, Mohr theory
is the most useful one.

The basis of this theory is that a material fails when the shearing stress on the failure plane is a
definite function of the normal stress acting on that plane and that failure occurs by slippage only.

Shearing resistance is made up of both friction and cohesion

Shearing resistance Sr= C+∑tanØ

Where C is the cohesion /unit area, phi is the angle of internal friction and sigma is the normal stress.

The value of C depends on the type of clay mineral , its size , the surface charges, the proportion of
clay and the water content.

Tests on soils to evaluate soil strength

Sub grade soil is an integral part of the road pavement structure as it provides the support to the
pavement from beneath.

The sub grade soil and its properties are important in the design of pavement structure.

Therefore, it is very essential to evaluate the sub grade strength by conducting tests.

The tests used to evaluate the strength properties of soils may be broadly divided into three groups:

 Shear tests
 Bearing tests
 Penetration tests

Shear test

Shear tests are usually carried out on relatively small soil samples in the laboratory. In order
to find out the strength properties of soil, a number of representative samples from different locations
are tested. Some of the commonly known shear tests are direct shear test, triaxial compression test,
and unconfined compression test.

Bearing tests

Bearing tests are loading tests carried out on sub grade soils in-situ with a load bearing area.
The results of the bearing tests are influenced by variations in the soil properties within the stressed
soil mass underneath and hence the overall stability of the part of the soil mass stressed could be
studied.

Penetration test

Penetration tests may be considered as small scale bearing tests in which the size of the
loaded area is relatively much smaller and ratio of the penetration to the size of the loaded area is
much greater than the ratios in bearing tests. The penetration tests are carried out in the field or in the
laboratory. The California bearing Ratio test (CBR) and cone penetration test is commonly known
penetration test.

Artificial aggregtaes

Artificial aggregates are made up of waste materials, such as fly ash, husks, or volcanic form
and ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS)

Why we need alternative artificial aggregates?

1.*Natural resources are out sourcing.

2. To utilize the waste delivered from industries like power plant, steel industry, iron industry.

3.Due to more density of natural aggregates

4. Less abrasion value of natural aggregates

5. To increase the durability of concrete

ARTIFICIAL AGGREGATES –Types and its applkications

 1.Expanded clay, shale ,slate aggregates

2.Distorted Over burnt brick aggregates

3.Blast furnace slag aggregates

4.Molten slag aggregates

5.Steel slag aggregates

6.Recycle concrete aggregates

1) EXPANDED SHALE, CLAY AND SLATE AGGREGATES

 produced by heating expanded clay in the rotary kiln process 2,000 degrees
Fahrenheit .
 most commonly known under the brand name LECA(acronym of light expanded clay
aggregate).
 the water absorption values were found between 10 and 15 %.
 Very light in weight compared with natural aggregates

Applications of expanded clay aggregates:

 1 . Usedas coarse aggregates in making light weight concrete oflow grade.

 2.Lightweight concrete roof tiles.
 3. Topping on wood floor systems.
 4. Used in geotechnical applications.
 5. Used in making concrete for hydraulic structures.
 6. used in bituminous pavement constructions.

Distorted Over burnt brick aggregates

 13% of bricks are severely over burnt due to uncontrolled distributionof temperature
in the kiln
 bricks are dark redin colour,severely distorted,
 stronger, less absorptive, andlow density

Blast furnace slag aggregates

Blast furnace slag is a non-metallic co-product produced in the process. It consists primarily
of silicates, alumina silicates, and calcium-alumina-silicates. The molten slag, which absorbs much of
the sulfur from the charge, comprises about 20 percent by mass of iron production. Blast furnace slag
is a secondary aggregate used widely in construction because of its performance attributes and
durability.

This is applied in air cooling, pelletization and granulation

Molten slag aggregates

Granulated blast furnace slag has been used as a raw material for cement production and as an
aggregate and insulating material. and granulated slag have also been used as sand blasting shot
materials
Steel slag

Steel slag, a by-product of steel making, is produced during the separation of the molten steel from
impurities in steel-making furnaces. The slag occurs as a molten liquid melt and is a complex solution
of silicates and oxides that solidifies upon cooling. These include construction aggregates, rail ballast,
agricultural soil amendment, in the manufacture of Ordinary Portland Cement and as an
environmental remediation material. The durability and surface properties of steel slag also make it an
ideal material for use in asphalt where high grip surfacing is required for skid resistance.

Steel slag provides quality aggregates for use in asphalt regulated by current EN Aggregate, Asphalt
standards.

Recycle concrete aggregates

Recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) is usually the concrete produced from construction and
demolition wastes, which either partially or completely replaces conventional natural aggregates
(NAs). Construction materials are increasingly judged by their ecological characteristics. Concrete
recycling gains importance because it protects natural resources and eliminates the need for disposal
by using the readily available concrete as an aggregate source for new concrete or other applications.
Recycling of concrete is a relatively simple process. It involves breaking, removing, and crushing
existing concrete into a material with a specified size and quality. The quality of concrete with RCA is
very dependent on the quality of the recycled material used.

Applications

In general, applications without any processing include:

 many types of general bulk fills

 bank protection
 base or fill for drainage structures
 road construction
 noise barriers and embankments