Introduction

Cold In-place Recycling (CIR) is defined as a rehabilitation technique in which the existing pavement
materials are reused in place.(1) The materials are mixed in-place without the application of heat. The
reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) material is obtained by milling, planing, or crushing the existing
pavement. Virgin aggregate or recycling agent or both are added to the RAP material which is then laid
and compacted.(2) The use of cold in-place recycling can restore old pavement to the desired profile,
eliminate existing wheel ruts, restore the crown and cross slope, and eliminate pothole, irregularities
and rough areas. It can also eliminate transverse, reflective, and longitudinal cracks.(3) Some of the
major reasons for the increased use of cold in-place recycling are the increased scarcity of materials,
particularly gravel and crushed rock, the method's high production rate and potential of cost savings,
minimum traffic disruption, ability to retain original profile, reduction of environmental concerns, and a
growing concern for depleting petroleum reserves.(2) Cold in-place recycling is more suitable than cold
central plant recycling particularly for secondary low-volume roads that are located at a considerable
distance from a central plant.(4) CIR does not involve hauling RAP to the central plant and then hauling
the cold recycled mix back to the job site.

Cold in-place recycling can be performed in two ways: full depth and partial depth. In full depth recycling
(reclamation or stabilization), both bound (asphalt) and portions of unbound (subbase, base) layers are
crushed, mixed with binder, and placed as a stabilized base course. In partial depth recycling, a portion
of the bound layer (asphalt), normally between 50 and 100 mm (2 and 4 in) is used to produce a base
course for generally low-to-medium traffic volume highways.(5) With the improvement in cold milling
techniques, full depth recycling can now be used to include a substantial portion of underlying unbound
materials. As a result, the Asphalt Recycling and Reclaiming Association (ARRA) defines cold in-place
recycling as a partial depth recycling (process involving 75 to 100 mm (3 to 4 in)) of the existing
pavement and defines full depth recycling as full depth reclamation which is considered a separate
procedure.(1) To follow the ARRA guidelines, this chapter presents cold in-place recycling as a partial
depth recycling method only. The full depth recycling method is described in chapter 16 under Full
Depth Reclamation.

The steps in cold in-place recycling consist of preparation of construction area, milling the existing
pavement, addition of recycling agent and virgin materials, laydown, compaction, and placement of
surface course. A flow chart for the method is shown in figure 13-1.(5) The addition of new aggregates
may not be necessary in some projects. At present two different methods are used for cold in-place
recycling. The methods are: single machine and the single-pass equipment train.
Single Machine

The single machine or single-pass equipment is capable of breaking, pulverizing, and adding recycling
agents in a single pass. Some examples of single machine are shown in figures 13-2, 133, 13-4, and 13-
5.(5) Figure 13-2 shows a single machine which basically consists of a paver mixer. RAP is added to the
machine either by cold milling (by a milling machine) or by a dump truck. Virgin material, if required, is
spread on existing surface ahead of the recycling equipment. One pass of this machine is sufficient to
mill, pulverize, add recycling agent and lay down. The recycling agent is added in the milling chamber of
the paver mixer. This type of machine is used together with a tanker which supplies the recycling agent
to the single machine. In this machine, the recycling agent or emulsion is added on the milled material
and the milled material is mixed, and finally precompacted with screed. In another type of single
machine, the existing material is milled, mixed with recycling agent, and deposited in a windrow. The
recycled material is picked up by a paver which lays it down and precompacts it with a screed. An
emulsion tanker is used with this type of machine. A truck with virgin aggregate is positioned in between
the cold milling machine and the single machine. In this case the emulsion tanker generally follows the
single machine. The single machine injects recycling agent on the mixed virgin aggregate and existing
material, spreads the recycled mix, and precompacts with a screed. he advantages of a single machine
are high production capacity and simplicity of operation. It is also suitable for urban areas due to its
short length. However, depth limitation and RAP aggregate oversize are the main disadvantages of this
method.
Single-Pass Equipment Train

The single-pass equipment train consist of a series of equipment, each capable of a particular operation.
The usual components are a cold milling machine, portable crusher, travel-plant mixer, and laydown
machine. The crushing and screening unit crushes and screens the oversized material from the milling
machine, and deposits the processed material into a pugmill, where the recycling agent is added. After
mixing, the material is either deposited onto the hopper of a self-propelled laydown machine, or
deposited in windrow. If the mix is placed on a windrow, it is then picked up by a paver for laydown.
Field Adjustments to Mix Design
The optimum moisture and emulsion contents from the laboratory-mix design are recommended as a
starting point in the field, subject to necessary adjustments by persons experienced in cold recycling.
First, the coating of the recycled mix is examined after the surface dries. If the coating is not satisfactory
(less than 75 percent), the moisture content is adjusted before the emulsion content. If the mix lacks
cohesion in spite of an adequate coating, the emulsion content is increased. A crude test for evaluating
cohesion has been used. A ball of the recycled mix is made by squeezing it in the palm of one's hand. If
the ball falls apart (friable) after the pressure is released, the mix lacks cohesion. The palm of one's hand
should also be examined for stains. If specks of asphalt are present, the emulsion content is generally
adequate. A palm that is almost completely stained by asphalt indicates excessive emulsion content.
Rational field test methods for QC/QA are being developed.

The Asphalt Recycling and Reclaiming Association has established five categories of asphalt recycling
methods. These include:

Cold planing
Hot recycling
Hot-in-place recycling
Cold recycling (in-place and plant produced)
Full-depth reclamation
In this article well look at full depth reclamation (FDR) and cold in-place recycling (CIR). For definitions
of the other types of asphalt recycling see the sidebar Other asphalt recycling methods, on page 32.

What CIR and FDR have in common is that both recycle 100 percent of the material and leave it directly
behind the machine, thus eliminating material trucking costs. And for both, in many cases, a later
application of a hot mix asphalt layer may be placed on top as a sealer or wearing surface.

CIR processes a specified depth of asphalt pavement. FDR cuts through the asphalt layers and
incorporates a portion of the base material. Accordingly, specialized machines are used a
reclaimer/stabilizer for FDR and a milling machine for CIR.
The decision as to which method to use depends on what shape the road is in, the cost and availability
of materials, the type of soil underneath the road and the engineers specs for the new roadway, says
Larry Jack, director of marketing, Terex Roadbuilding. If you catch the defects early, all the owner may
need to do is a simple chipseal. At the next level it might require cold in-place recycling. But if water has
drained down into the sub-base and gone through a freeze-thaw cycle or if there are defects in the sub-
base, then the choice is usually going to be full depth reclamation, he says.

There are a lot of different types of recycling, says Tim Kowalski, recycling product manager for Wirtgen
America, especially when you consider the different types of emulsions and additives that are used to
enhance the mix. Soil types and the design requirements of the road determine these. All of them have
their place, but there is not one type thats best for all, he says.

Successful recycling projects start long before the equipment is unloaded, says Steven Muncy, ARRA
technical director. Proper distress identification and lab testing are key. By identifying the cause of the
distress, the depth of treatment and process are selected. Material evaluation and mix design determine
the additive.

Full-depth reclamation
Reclaimer/stabilizer machines use a large cutter drum studded with carbide tipped teeth to pulverize
the asphalt, base materials and soil down to as deep as 16 or 20 inches. The grinding is done inside the
drum cutter housing with the carbide teeth in most cases rotating in an upcut direction. (Manufacturers
also offer downcut drums for specialized applications.) Plates or breaker bars inside the drum may also
be added to the housing to further control the size of the graded material.

Its going to take all 16 inches, pulverizing the asphalt and mixing it with the base materials, says
Randy Kessler, senior service engineer, Caterpillar Paving. In most cases the spec is to grind the asphalt
pieces to 1.5 inches or smaller.

The equipment train for FDR is fairly straightforward. In most cases youll have an additive spreader or
pump truck up front being pushed by the reclaimer/stabilizer, which is followed by a compactor and
motor grader and additional compactors. If the additive is placed on the material after it has been
pulverized, the reclaimer/stabilizer will tow the spreader or pump truck. Over the years, reclamation
projects have been trending toward deeper cuts with tighter specifications and manufacturers have
responded with higher horsepower, four-wheel-drive reclaimer/stabilizers to get the job done quickly
and cost efficiently, Jack says.

The material left in place is compacted and shaped by a motor grader to the desired road profile and
then a final compaction is done to seal the surface. Initial compaction is usually done with a large
vibratory roller, Kessler says, 25 tons or better, because the reclaimed layer is fairly deep. Padfoot rollers
may be used if the layer is more than 6 inches deep. After shaping, the finish roller used may be smooth
drum or pneumatic, depending on the engineering specs. The new, compacted material is generally
more stable than a conventional subgrade due to its depth and the presence of the pulverized asphalt,
which acts like additional aggregate in the road base. At this point the compacted recycled material is
left to cure (if necessary) and then topped with a wear course.

In addition to the environmental advantages of FDR, this application also enables you to fix subgrade
deficiencies, improve the structural properties of the subgrade and restore a deteriorated roads slope
and profile. FDR is also economical and can be accomplished with a relatively simple equipment train.

Cold in-place recycling

CIR uses a cold planer or modified milling machine to cut 2 to 4 inches into the existing asphalt layers.
Typically an asphalt emulsion or an emulsified recycling agent is used as an adhesive. Chemical additives
such as Portland cement, lime, kiln dust or fly ash may be used to enhance certain properties.

Standard milling machines are equipped with an up-cutting drum. In a single-unit CIR train milling
machines are typically configured so the cutters rotate in a down-cutting direction, which can have a
positive effect on material sizing. The additive is mixed with the RAP in the cutter drum housing, says
Eric Baker, marketing manager at Roadtec. In a multi-unit CIR equipment train the RAP is placed by the
milling machines conveyor into a separate mix paver with a pugmill and screed.

The multi-unit train is led by a large milling machine, which places the RAP into an intermediate
screening and crushing unit to size the material and a pug mill to mix it with additive. Once its sized and
mixed with the additive, the RAP is left behind in windrows and captured by a pickup machine to be fed
into a conventional asphalt paver.
Having the mixing and sizing done by a separate unit thats towed by the mill enables you to control the
size of the rap better and gives you a more precise distribution of the additives Baker says.

The biggest advantage to CIR is value, Baker says. Typically you are rehabilitating 2 to 4 inches of the
existing roadway with little more added than some oil and an overlay. This provides a much better end
product than an overlay alone and is much less expensive than a mill- and-fill of the same depth, he
says. Additionally the durability of a CIR pavement is just as good if not better than other methods.

Additives and emulsions

Although it is sometimes allowed under the right conditions, its rare that the recycled product left
behind by a reclaimer/stabilizer or milling machine is sufficient by itself. To improve the mechanical
properties of the recycled roadbed a variety of additives are introduced to the material. Once in place
and compacted, some emulsions or additives need time to cure, anywhere from a few days to two
weeks, before you can go back in and put down the final asphalt wear layer. But the surface can usually
be opened to traffic immediately or shortly after compaction. In some cases traffic can actually help
speed up the curing process.

If youre going to have a high traffic roadway, its probably going to be treated with an additive, Jack
says. These may include water, lime, calcium or magnesium chloride, fly ash, Portland cement (dry or in
a wet slurry), asphalt emulsion, foamed asphalt or a combination of these.

Based on site conditions and lab testing, engineers determine what additives work best for a desired
spec in each job, but the methods of application vary. The simplest way to get the additive into the mix
is to spread it out as a dry powder in front of the reclaimer/stabilizer or milling machine. But many of
these machines are also outfitted with liquid additive systems and computerized controls so you can
meter the injected additive into the mixing housing directly from a pushed tanker truck. Liquid additives
provide a more uniform coating of the recycled product and evenly distribute the slurry or additive in
the mix. Slurries also will have the same positive impact on the soil while reducing the dust often
associated with dry additives. Sometimes the additives are spread over the pulverized material after the
first pass of the reclaimer/stabilizer and then worked into the recycled material with an additional pass.
Lime and cement are mainly there to increase the fines content and help some in wet tensile strengths
of certain materials, says Kowalski. With foamed asphalt, hot asphalt oil is injected into an expansion
chamber along with water and air. When the water and oil collide, they expand or foam and are pushed
out of the expansion chamber into the mixing drum area. Once this expanded material hits the
aggregate, the bubbles explode into millions of microscopic particles of asphalt that coat the fines in the
mix. Its like little spot welds that hold everything together in the matrix. Once you foam the material
and squeeze a handful of it, it looks like someone took a fine-tipped magic marker and put black dots all
over your hand, he says.

Getting the business

As with most road building jobs, theres a political element involved in winning a bids for asphalt
recycling jobs. Be prepared to go through a couple of years marketing your companys abilities to do
this, Jack says. You may be asked to do some demonstration projects in order to show how the
process meets the desired results.

One big advantage you will have is that asphalt recycling offers substantial environmental benefits.
Many government agencies strive to enhance their environmental credibility and asphalt recycling
speaks directly to that need.

To be successful at these types of road recycling you have to bring together three elements, Jack says.
You cant just do it by the seat of your pants, he says. You have to have an entrepreneurial spirit and
the will to succeed. You have to have the engineering input and understand the capabilities and
different types of asphalt recycling and how they apply to conditions in your area. And third, the
manufacturers equipment you choose has to be the right design and set up for the job. Put all three of
these together and you will succeed.

Jack also mentions that contractors who join ARRA have access to a wealth of experience and technical
expertise from the organization-people who basically wrote the book on asphalt recycling and
reclamation. The association has been promoting the industry and working with manufacturers and
contractors to improved the techniques and technology for more than 30 years. You can find out more
at www.arra.org.
Other asphalt recycling methods
In addition to full depth reclamation and cold in-place recycling, the Asphalt Recycling and Reclaiming
Association lists several other methods. These include:

Cold planing. Cold planing is the controlled cold milling of pavement to restore the surface to a specified
profile. Bumps, ruts and other surface irregularities are removed, leaving a uniform textured surface.

Hot recycling. Here the RAP is combined with virgin aggregates and heated in modified batch or drum
mix plants. According to ARRA, hot recycling is the most widely used asphalt recycling method in the
world.

Hot in-place recycling. Hot in-place recycling is an on-site, in-place method that rehabilitates
deteriorated bituminous pavements and minimizes the use of new materials. This process may be
performed as either a single pass (one phase) operation that monolithically recombines the restored
pavement with virgin material, or as a two pass procedure, where the restored material is recompacted
and the application of the new wearing surface then follows a prescribed interim period that separates
the process into two distinct phases.

Cold central plant recycling. This subset of cold recycling uses a stationary cold-mix plant to produce a
mix that can be used immediately or stockpiled for later use. This process is selected when the project
will not accommodate in-place methods or there is an existing RAP stockpile. Many CCPR plants are
portable and set up near the job, eliminating the need for asphalt plant permits.

Facts About RAP

If all the asphalt pavement that is reclaimed every year were put in one cone-shaped stockpile it would
measure 759 feet high and 1,298 feet wide. By comparison the Washington Monument is 555 feet high.

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pavement/recycling/98042/13.cfm
https://www.equipmentworld.com/technology-road-recycling/