Larry Yenko

CEE 595-Winter 2011

1/31/2011
Full Depth Reclamation
Introduction
Full depth reclamation (FDR) is a road construction rehabilitation method involving
the recycling of existing asphalt pavement into a stabilized base course. The
process involves the partial destruction or full destruction of an existing asphalt
road and in some cases the subbase (4 to 12 inches in depth). The method of
destruction is accomplished by various techniques using standard construction
equipment or by specialized FDR equipment. The destructed material is recycled in
place or in an on-site mill and modified into a subbase by the addition of an
additive. Additives include calcium chloride, portland cement, fly ash and lime. The
rehabilitation process consists of pulverization, introduction of the additive, mixing
and placement of the material, compaction and the addition of a wear course. If
there is insufficient recycled material to complete the design, additional new
material can be imported. The result of this process is lower-cost, rehabilitation of
the existing profile of the road to an equal or greater strength, eliminating problems
of aging and overuse (rutting, fatigue cracking, whether cracking, potholes, etc.),
improved frost performance and doing so in an environmentally friendly way. FDR
was originally designed for secondary low-volume roads, however, the process has
been increasingly used for city streets and medium volume highways. The process

has even been used on interstate highways (Transportation Engineering and Road
Research Alliance 2008).

Construction process and equipment

There are four basic steps of FDR's. Pulverize and size recycled asphalt pavement
(RAP), mix and spread, compact and place a wear coat. There are four processes
involved in the first step.
Multistep sequence
Process number 1, Multistep Sequence is probably the most economical as no
special equipment is required. This process involves destruction of the existing road
using rippers attached to a bulldozer or a grader. The destructed material is then
pulverized using a sheep's foot or similar vibratory roller (this operation results in
uneven sized as it produces uneven chunks of RAP. A grader with with rippers with a
cutter-crusher-compactor can be used in this process (Prithvi S. Kandhal, Rajib B.
Mallick December 1997).

Two-Step Process
This process includes pulverizing and sizing by a cold milling machine. The machine
contains tungsten-carbide tipped teeth. The machine can either cut from the bottom
up or top down (the bottom up being less difficult and less destructive on the teeth).
The machine can also be guided by a ski producing cuts in profile to the existing
road (slopes) or guided by string producing a level cut. The machine can efficiently
cut a depth of 4 inches. Deeper cuts result in significant slowdown of the machine. It
may be more efficient to make two or more passes depending on depth (Prithvi S.
Kandhal, Rajib B. Mallick December 1997).

The destructed material can be mixed with the appropriate additive in the hopper
then windrowed for either placement by an asphalt placement machine or grader
(the second step) (Prithvi S. Kandhal, Rajib B. Mallick December 1997).
Single Machine
A single machine can mill and mix the destructed material at one time. The
machine then places the mixture on the road bed ready for grading and then
compaction.

Single Pass Equipment Train

An equipment train consists of several individual pieces of equipment. They
generally include a cold milling machine, crusher, travel plant mixer and a laydown
machine.
Please watch the video of a single Pass equipment train.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwL5rZ0iTMA&feature=player_detailpage

Additives
Additive are used to stabilize the cold in-place recycling (CIR) of RAP. Which
additives are used depends on the competition of the destructed material, the type
of soil that exists in the subbase or subgrade and the intended use of the new road.
Additives include asphalt emulsions, lime, portland cement, fly ash, calcium chloride
and foamed asphalt.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=ADrdMiJfAuQ
Asphalt Emulsions
Asphalt emulsions help to increase cohesion and weight bearing properties of the
CIR. The asphalt emulsions help to soften the RAP. The emulsions are made up of
asphalt cement, water and an emulsifying agent (polymers). The emulsion breaks
down and is applied to the RAP, the water breaks and is eliminated during
compaction or evaporates during curing. Granular material may be added. A

minimum of 6 inches is recommended for FDR (Marshall R Thompson March 2009).

Considerations that affect mixture design are aggregate size (1.5-2 inches
maximum) and sufficient coating of the RAP. Application of the emulsions can be
done without specialized equipment (Marshall R Thompson March 2009).
Portland Cement
Portland cement is used as an additive to FDR destructed material to increase the
strength of the subbase. Cement, water and the destructed FDR material (including
soil if applicable) bond to create the cementious adhesion between the particles to
form a strong subbase. Because of the cementious nature, the subbase continues to
increase in strength far beyond placement of the subbase.
Cement its introduced into the mix either in the dry form or a cement slurry. Water
is added to the mixture either in front of the pulverizer or in the mixing chamber.
After the RAP, soil, cement and water is mixed and spread (see above), the mixture
is compacted to standard density (ASTM D588) by either a vibratory roller or rubber
tired roller or both. Water is applied to the surface to keep the mixture moist and
ensure hydration (curing) (Association 2011) and the next lift should be applied as
soon as possible to lock in the moisture. A tack coat should be applied prior to
applying the chip seal or HMA wear coat (Stephen T Meunch 2008).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=3TjEGNEJy64
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=mXj0NifWkCI
Lime.
Lime is used to mitigate the effects of Clay which weakens subbases and subgrades.
Lime mixed with RAP reduces plasticity, increases the soil strength. It reduces
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swelling potential and reduces the RAP's affinity for water (Prithvi S. Kandhal, Rajib
B. Mallick December 1997). Lime changes the the attraction of the negative
charged Clay (anions) to water (cations) thereby strengthening the mixture (Berger
2007).
Fly Ash
Fly ash is a byproduct of coal combustion. Fly ash is classified either Type C or Type
F depending on the type of coal that is combusted (Type C-lignite, Type F,
anthracite) (Administration 2001) (chapter 10). Type C fly ash is high (>20%) in lime
and becomes cementious when water is added while type F (<20%) needs the
addition of cement or lime to become cementious (Administration 2001) (chapter
4). Fly ash has similar properties of Portland cement (see Portland cement above).
Calcium Chloride
Calcium chloride increases the load bearing and minimizes frost and heave damage.
Three quarters of the required calcium chloride it added to the RAP (per mixture
design(. The RAP is then graded and compacted. The final one fourth of the required
calcium chloride is applied to the compacted surface (H Wen 2004).
Foamed Asphalt
Foamed asphalt is a process by which water is added to the heated asphalt causing
the asphalt to expand and explode, creating a film with 10 times as much coating
capacity. This process can take place in a mixer/hot plant or at the mixer. Design
criteria for asphalt or asphalt emulsions used as an additive apply. Foamed asphalt
is a process (now the preferred process) to use it asphalt emulsions as the
appropriate additive (D. Jones April 2008).
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Curing and Compaction and Application of Wearing Surface

Curing of the recycled mix is required. FDR generally requires the addition of water
in the process of pulverization and mixing. ASTM standards set a minimum moisture
level in a subbase which FDR generally exceeds. Aeration is effective to reduce the
amount of moisture in the mix. It can be accomplished by wind rowing the mix and
spreading it by grader. The amount and rate of water across can be controlled by
the type of additive used, mix water used, gradation of the aggregate and the
ambient weather conditions.
Compaction can be done by a steel wheeled roller, rubber tire roller, vibratory roller
or a combination of the three. The number of passes depends on the optimal water
content, additive used, depth of new subbase, weight of the roller and
environmental conditions. Correct water content aids in the compaction process
(lubrication) while excessive moisture causes reduced load densities and moisture retention
in sealed layers. To ensure proper compaction (especially if traffic is allowed on the subbase
prior to the wear coat) the mixture should be remixed and relayed. Another option is to
apply a fog seal or tack coat prior to allowing traffic.

There are numerous options for additive to RAP. Which additive should be used is
dependent upon the objectives of the road rehabilitation, cost, including the need
for any specialized equipment, the cost of the additive, cost of the additional time
and inconvenience to the public (including environmental concerns) and the
availability of the additive.
Other Considerations

Care should be taken to make sure that the mix is free of bones and cobbles, large
boulders and rocks and trees stumps. Gradiation should test out for 100% material
passing through a 2 inch sieve and 3% passing through a number 200 sieve.
The method of cut described above (top down versus bottom up) is a practical
consideration. The machine can first cut diagonally across the existing pavement to
produce a clean start of the reconditioned road. Water may be needed to cool the
teeth of the cutting machine unless the cut goes below existing pavement into the
subgrade.
The width of the cut may include the shoulders (if widening the road is planned).
Additional considerations must be made for the nature of the soil in the shoulder
and appropriate design measures taken. Additional virgin material will be required
and should be should be compensated for.
Gradiation at the milling machine should be adjusted to reduce or eliminate
excessive fines.
Proper speed of the milling machine should be determined to produce the optimal
size of RAP. Speed of the machine should be adjusted to compensate for ambient
temperature. High ambient temperature (>90F) causes asphalt to come off in
larger chunks (Prithvi S. Kandhal, Rajib B. Mallick December 1997).
Case Studies
FDR has been around for many years. Numerous studies have been undertaken.
Major studies in the United States have been made by Wisconsin, Illinois,
Washington and California to name a few. Internationally, South Africa, Australia and
Far East countries have produced extensive research (D. Jones April 2008). Canada
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undertook a study for the effectiveness of FDR, geotextile, sand and cement
stabilization (Berthelot January 2009, volume 36, issue one). Caltrans Incorporated
numerous case studies of different projects around the state (D. Jones April 2008).
This writer may have chosen a subject to broadly. The underlying theme of all the
studies were the effectiveness of FDR and the need for a mixed design prior to
construction and the need for careful oversight and testing.
Summary
Full Depth Reclamation is the process by which existing asphalt pavement is
destructed, the destructed material being used by combining RAP with additives to
produce a stabilized subbase. Additives include Portland cement and fly ash
(creating a cementious subbase), asphalt emulsions including foamed asphalt
(creating an asphalt subbase with improved load and cold weather performance).
Lime changes the polarity of the RAP to reduce water migration). Calcium chloride
reduces the susceptibility of subbase material to frost and heave . The FDR
stabilization process improves strength of the subbase, eliminates cracks, potholes,
rutting, shoving, stripping and other structural defects. The main steps in FDR are
pulverizing, addition of an additive, shaping and sizing the material, compaction
and the addiction of the wear course. Pulverizing and sizing can be done four
different ways. The multistep process, includes pulverization by existing equipment
(rippers) sizing ( sheepfoot roller and steel wheel roller), mixing additives (grader)
and compaction (roller). In a two step process, milling machine is used for step one
and a mixing machine follows for step two. In a single step process, the milling and
mixing is achieved with one machine. The last process involves a single pass
equipment train containing several specialized pieces of equipment (pulverizer,
aggregate sizer, mixer and laid down machine). Each method has it's advantages
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and disadvantages (time, quality control and costs, including the cost of specialized
equipment). After each process is completed, the resulting un-compacted recycled
material needs to be aerated (obtain the appropriate water content) and compacted
using a steel wheel roller, rubber tired roller or vibratory roller or a combination of
the three. Finally, a wear course is applied. Before the wear course is applied a tack
coat may be needed. The wear coat may be a chip seal or HMA surface coat.
Numerous studies have been completed on FDR. The subject covers a broad
number of techniques and processes. Consensus from the studies support the use
of FDR as an effective alternative to new construction of existing highways. As with
all construction, attention to detail, oversight and ongoing testing is needed to take
advantage of the processes described above.

Note: this paper was completed using Dragon NaturallySpeaking voice recognition.
The author was not completely familiar with Microsoft Word, therefore some of the
pictures Incorporated into the paper were not completely adjusted to the text. My
apologies for this.
Administration, Federal Highway. Fly Ash Facts for Highway Engineers. Information,
Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration, 2001.
Association, Portland Cement. Full Depth Reclamation With Cement. Informational,
Skokie, Illinois: Portland cement Association, 2011.
Berger, Eric. Lime Use for Soil Improvement And Full Depth Reclamation. Chemical
Lime, October 23, 2007.
Berthelot, Curtis, et al. "Field investigation of granular base rehabilitation project
incorporating a woven geotextile separation layer, sand, and cement stabilization."
Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, January 2009, volume 36, issue one: 14-25.
D. Jones, P. Fu, J. Harvey, and F. Halles. Full-Depth Reclamation with Foamed
Asphalt: Final Report. technical, Dixon California: Caltrans, April 2008.
H Wen, H Tharaniyil, M P Ramme, B Krebs. Full Depth Reclamation with Calcium
Chloride. technical, Washington DC: Transportation Resource Board, 2004.

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Marshall R Thompson, Lewis Garcia, Samuel H Carpenter. Cold In-Place Recycling

and Full Depth Reclamation with Asphalt Products (CIRFDRwAP). Technical,
Springfield, Illinois: University of Illinois, March 2009.
Prithvi S. Kandhal, Rajib B. Mallick. Pavement Recycling Guidelines For State and
Local Governments. Participants Reference Book chapters 16 Depth Reclamation
(Construction Methods and Equipment). Technical Report Publication No. FHWA-SA98-042, Washington DC: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), December 1997.
Stephen T Meunch, Tim Moomaw. Debonding Of Hot Mix Asphalt Pavement in
Washington State: An Initial Investigation. technical, Seattle: State of Washington,
2008.
Transportation Engineering and Road Research Alliance. "Full-Depth Reclamation
(FDR)." pamphlet, July 2008.

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