Estimating the effect of

fly ash and polypropylene

on Cement Stabilization
for road base

Valiant Anak David Branch

Supervisor : Dr Mohamad Raduan Bin Hj Kabit
1
 01 Introduction Area of
02 Literature Review Presentation
Problem
03 Statements

Research
Questions, Aim and
04 Objectives, and
Hypothesis

05 Proposed Methodology

06 Conclusion

07 References
2
 1 Introduction
3
 Introduction

▪ Cement stabilization is a common method for road

rehabilitation in Malaysia.
▪ However, a number cement stabilized road base
experienced a number of issues (P.Paige-Green,
2011)

4
 Introduction

• Issues pertaining to current cement stabilized road base:

 Deterioration of road base due to moisture ingress (Y.Yeo,
H.Nikraz, P.Jitsangiam, 2012)
 Observation made by Main Road Western Australia on Kwinana
Freeway from 1996-2008 showed that the stabilized road base has
been deteriorated due to moisture ingress (Y.Yeo, H.Nikraz,
P.Jitsangiam, 2012)
 Large degradation in strength and modulus value of stabilized
mixture due to early shrinkage cracking (Ashish, P. K., Havanagh,
5 G. V., Tiwari, D., 2016)
 2 Literature
Review
6
 Literature Review

Researcher(s) Methodology Research Findings and Limitations

P.Paige-Green Assessed collected base Deterioration of stabilized base course in

(2005) course using accelerated South Africa is due to carbonation.
carbonation test, observing
evidence by using Scanning
Electron Microscope (SEM),
and testing of evidences using
Dynamic Cone Penetrometer
Y.Yeo, Tube Suction Tests (TST) to Cement stabilized base course is
H.Nikraz, measure moisture susceptibility susceptible to moisture ingress.
P.Jitsangiam of Australian cemented base However, higher percentage of cement
(2012) course reduces permeability of stabilized base
course and reduced moisture ingress.
7
 Literature Review
Researcher(s) Methodology
B.Rollings, J. Investigated the formation of
Burkes, bumps formed by cement
M.Rollings stabilized base course after
(1999) about a year of being built
using SEM
W.Fedrigo et al. Conducted Unconfined
(2017) Compressive Strength (UCS)
test, Drying Shrinkage test
and Erodibility test to
examine the strength and
durability properties of cement
8 stabilized recycled materials
Research Findings and Limitations
Bump formation due to swelling of
stabilized base course as a result of
sulphate attack. The results however
are limited to visual observation as vital
parameters such as unconfined
compressive strength was not tested.
The content of cement determines the
UCS value and other durability
properties such as resistance towards
erosion, capillary rise and absorption
rate. However, an increase in cement
content also increase the drying
shrinkage values which leads to cracking
 Literature Review
Researcher(s) Methodology
A.Ismail et al. Conducted experiments on
(2014) cement stabilized samples by
using Unconfined Compressive
Strength (UCS) test, Indirect
Tension test for Resilient Modulus
(ITRM) and Flexure Strength test
(FS)
Alireza Studied the UCS and durability
Rezagholilou value of cement stabilized base
and when added with other pozzolanic
Hamid Nikraz materials by using UCS test
(2016) method and wet-dry cycling
9 method
Research Findings and Limitations
Excessive addition of cement increases
the shrinkage cracks which is a major
problem for pavement from water
infiltration.
Recommended cement percentage for
cement stabilized base layer is 4%
Percentage of cement needed for cement
stabilization should meet both shrinkage
and durability requirement.
UCS test and wet-dry cycle test are
important test method to determine strength
and durability of cement stabilized base.
 Literature Review

Researcher(s) Methodology Research Findings and Limitations

Vaishali and Reviewed the use of fly ash as
Gayathri, (2017) partial cement replacement in the
base course
M.Yin-hua and Conducted dry shrinkage
J.Gu (2012) performance and temperature
shrinkage performance on fibre-
reinforced cement stabilized
aggregate base under different
content and different lengths
Fly ash can be used to partially replace
cements without significantly sacrificing the
UCS and durability of base course.
The addition of fibre can reduce the dry
shrinkage coefficient and temperature
shrinkage coefficient of cement stabilized
base.
It improves the crack resistance of stabilized
base

10
 Summary of literature
review

▪ The current road base design is susceptible to moisture

related degradation
▪ Testing for UCS and durability components are
important in determining road base mix design
▪ Addition of fly ash and fibre able to increase the
performance of cement stabilized road base

11
 3 Problem
Statements
12
• JKR spent RM1,788,711,865.16 (80%) of
RM2,248,971,329.08 for road
maintenance between 2011 and 2015
(Public Works Department of Sarawak,
2016)
• Malaysian Budget 2016 and 2017, RM
8,600,000,000.00 for road upgrades and
maintenance for rural and state roads
(Ministry of Finance Malaysia, 2015;
Ministry of Finance Malaysia, 2016)
• In 2019, Malaysian government
committed RM 926,000,000.00 for
building, upgrading roads, rural roads
and bridges (Ministry of Finance
Malaysia, 2018)
Figure of road condition against failure percentage
• Issues with cement stabilized road
base:

 Cement stabilized road base

deteriorated prematurely (B.Rollings, J.
Burkes, M.Rollings, 1999)
 Cement stabilized layer seems to be
disappearing through service life (Y.Yeo,
H.Nikraz, P.Jitsangiam, 2012)
 4
Research
Questions, Aim
and Objectives,
and Hypothesis

16
 Research
Questions

1. How does the current cement stabilized road base perform

in terms of strength and durability?
2. What are the solution in reinforcing the strength and
durability of cement stabilized road base?
3. How is the performance of modified cement stabilized road
base compared with the current design?

17
 Aim and Specific
Objectives
Aim:
▪ To investigate ways to achieve more durable and sustainable
method/mix design for cement stabilization of road base

Specific Objectives:
▪ To investigate the performance of current cement stabilized road base design
▪ To evaluate the effects of adding fly ash and polypropyene fibre into road base
design
▪ To determine the performance of modified cement stabilized road base design
against the current design

18
 Hypotheses

▪ The current cement stabilized road base design has

adequate strength to withstand traffic load but not durable
against moisture intrusion due to cracks
▪ By adding fly ash and polypropylene into cement stabilized
mix, it can increase the durability of cement stabilized road
base
▪ Modified cement stabilized road base can outperform the
current cement stabilized road design in terms of strength
and durability
19
 5 Proposed
Methodology
20
 Proposed Methodology

Develop aim and specific • Literature Review

objectives
(Chapter 1 and chapter • Problem Statement
2)

Specimen Design and • Design of cement stabilized

Data Collection specimen
• Data from strength and durability
(Chapter 3) tests of stabilized specimen
21
 Proposed Methodology

• Unconfined Compressive Strength

Data Analysis (UCS) test
(Chapter 4) • Wet-dry cycle test

Results and • Comment on the data obtained

Interpretation of Findings from UCS test, wet-dry cycle
(Chapter 4)
22
 Proposed Methodology

• Significance of research
Summary and • Study limitation
Recommendation • Recommendations for future
research
(Chapter 5)

23
24
 UNCONFINED
COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH
(UCS) TEST

▪ Test to determine the unconfined compressive strength of

sample
▪ Based on BS 1377-7:1990 Determination of UCS
▪ Samples will be moulded in cylinder-shaped mould before
being cured and tested
▪ Sample curing and test are at day 7, 14, 28

25
 UNCONFINED
COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH
(UCS) TEST

Expected results from the experiment

includes:
▪ Axial stress (MPa) against axial
strain (%) graph that shows the
maximum axial stress sample can
withstand before it breaks

26
 WET-DRY CYCLE TEST

▪ Test to determine the hardness of stabilized sample against

weathering
▪ Based on ASTM D559-03 Standard Test Methods for Wetting
and Drying Compacted Soil-Cement Mixtures
▪ Samples will undergo wet and dry cycling process in which
after each process, samples will be weigh to record
differences in weight A total of 12 cycles will be measured
over a period of a month

27
 WET-DRY CYCLE TEST

Expected result from the test:

▪ Differences in weight of sample for every cycle(weight
gained by sample indicates carbonation process
occurring while a decrease in sample weight indicates
disintegration within the sample)

28
 6 Conclusion
29
 Conclusion

Current cement stabilized road base experiences issues with:

▪ Early deterioration
▪ Durability against moisture ingress

To solve the issue:

▪ Designs involving the addition of fly ash as cement replacement and
addition of polypropylene fibre is conducted and will be tested against
current cement stabilization to determine the performance in terms of
30 strength and durability
 Research Time Table
Months
Task/Milestone 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

Literature Review
Identify Problem
Statement
Preliminary Work
Proposal Defence
Experimental
Work and Data
Collection
Experimentation
Result and Data
Analysis
Evaluation of
Data
Publication 1
Publication 2
Thesis Writing
Thesis
Submission
 7 References

32
 References
▪ Alireza Rezagholilou, & Hamid Nikraz. (2016). Effective Use of Cement for
Modification of Base Course Material. Journal of Civil Engineering and
Architecture, 10(4). https://doi.org/10.17265/1934-7359/2016.04.006
▪ Ashish, P. K., Havanagh, G. V., Tiwari, D. (2014). “Shrinkage and Cracking
Behaviour of Cement Stabilized Material in Flexible Pavement – A Critical
Review. Indian Highways, Indian Road Congress-New Delhi, (August
2016).
▪ Fedrigo, W., Núñez, W. P., Kleinert, T. R., Matuella, M. F., & Ceratti, J. A. P.
(2017). Strength, shrinkage, erodibility and capillary flow characteristics of
cement-treated recycled pavement materials. International Journal of
Pavement Research and Technology, 10(5), 393–402.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijprt.2017.06.001
33
 References

▪ Public Works Department of Sarawak. 2016. Road Maintenance Report

▪ Ismail, A., Baghini, M. S., Karim, M. R., Shokri, F., Al-Mansob, R. A.,
Firoozi, A. A., & Firoozi, A. A. (2014). Laboratory Investigation on the
Strength Characteristics of Cement-Treated Base. Applied Mechanics and
Materials, 507(January), 353–360.
https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.507.353
▪ Paige-Green, P. (2005). A Reassessment of Problems Affecting Stabilized
Layers in Roads in South Africa.
▪ Rollings, B. R. S., Burkes, J. P., & Rollings, M. P. (1999). Sulfate attack on
34
Cement-Stabilized Sand, 125(May), 364–372.
 References

▪ Sahu, V., & V, G. (2015). The use of stabilized fly ash as a green material
in pavement substructure: A review. International Journal of Advanced
Science and Technology, 4(1), 76–80.
https://doi.org/10.6088/ijcser.201304010030
▪ Yeo, Y. S., Nikraz, H., & Jitsangiam, P. (2012). Tube suction test to
measure moisture susceptibility of Australian pavements. Engineering
Journal, 16(4), 159–168. https://doi.org/10.4186/ej.2012.16.4.159
▪ Yin-hua, M., & Gu, J. (2012). The Shrinkage Performance of Flexible Fiber
Reinforced Cement-stabilized Aggregate Base. International Journal On
Advances in Information Sciences and Service Sciences, 4(21), 363–369.
https://doi.org/10.4156/aiss.vol4.issue21.45
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 Thanks for your time

36
Je Vous Remercie !
Any questions ?
“No one is dumb who is curious.
The people who don't ask question
remain clueless throughout their
lives” - Neil deGrasse Tyson