1

SEMINAR ON STUDY OF
BITUMEN EMULSION AS A SOIL
STABILISER

Geotechnical Aspect of Pavement

Important role in road planning, designing, constructing

and maintaining for a durable and cost effective pavement

Major transit mode
Different soils in India
laterite, black cotton, mountain, red soil, alluvial soil, desert soil,

saline alkaline soil and peat soil deposits

Geotechnical Aspect of Pavement (cont.)

Soil properties dominate the design
stiffness and/or strength of the unbound materials (i.e., the
cohesion and friction angle from triaxial tests) are not needed for
design
Strength indices like the California Bearing Ratio (CBR)
Recently direct stiffness testing via the resilient modulus (MR)
strength and stiffness are usually closely correlated in most
geomaterials

Geotechnical Aspect of Pavement (cont.)

Soil properties dominate the failure of performance
moisture/drainage, freeze/thaw, and contamination (material from
one layer intermixing with another)
Compressibility
thermal cracking, low skid resistance, and others, The influence
factors on these other distresses is generally quite small

Geotechnical Properties vs Failures of pavement

Insuff. Base
Stiffness /
Strength

Insuff.
Subgrade
Stiffness /
Strength

Moisture /
Drainage
Problems

Freeze / Thaw

Fatigue
Cracking

Rutting

Corrugations

Bumps
Depressions

X
X

Potholes
Roughness

Swelling

Contamination

Erosion

Spatial
Variability

X
X

X
X

Sensitivity of Pavement Design to Geotechnical

Factors

Sensitivity of Pavement Design to Geotechnical

Factors (cont.)

Approximate pavement cost for varying subgrade support

conditions (B.Vandre)

Soil Improvement
Different locations require different treatment according to

the intended geotechnical properties.

Improved properties save lots of efforts in construction,
cost of construction and maintenance of pavement.
since the era of Romanian republic

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Objectives of Soil Stabilization

As a construction platform to dry very wet soils and

facilitate compaction of the upper layers-for this case, the

stabilized soil is usually not considered as a structural
layer in the pavement design process.
To strengthen a weak soil and restrict the volume change
potential of a highly plastic or compressible soil-for this
case, the modified soil is usually given some structural
value or credit in the pavement design process.
To reduce moisture susceptibility of fine grain soils.

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Stabilisation Methods for pavements (from Rollings and Rollings,

1996)
Method
Blending

Soil

Effect

Moderately plastic

None

Others

Improve gradation

Remarks
Too difficult to mix

Reduce plasticity
Reduce breakage
Lime

Cement

Bituminous

Pozzolanic and slags

Misc. methods

Plastic

Drying

Rapid

Immediate strength gain

Rapid

Reduce plasticity

Rapid

Coarsen texture

Rapid

Long-term pozzolanic cementing

Slow

Coarse with fines

Same as with plastic soils

Dependent on quantity of plastic fines

Nonplastic

None

Plastic

Similar to lime

Less pronounced

Cementing of grains

Hydration of cement

Coarse

Cementing of grains

Hydration of cement

Coarse

Strengthen/bind, waterproof

Asphalt cement or liquid asphalt

Some fines

Same as coarse

Liquid asphalt

Fine

None

Can't mix

Silts and coarse

Acts as a filler

Denser and stronger

Cementing of grains

Slower than cement

Variable

Depends on mechanism

Variable

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Characteristics of Stabilized Soils

Improved strength and stiffness
Reduced compressibility and swelling potential
Resistance to entering of water or hydrophobic properties

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Guide for selection of admixture stabilization

method(s) (Austroads, 1998)

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Bitumen stabilization
asphalt-stabilized soils are used for base and subbase

construction
sand-bitumen, which produces strength in cohesionless soils, such

as clean sands, or acts as a binder or cementing agent

soil-bitumen, which stabilizes the moisture content of cohesive finegrained soils
sand-gravel bitumen, which provides cohesive strength and
waterproofs pit-run gravelly soils with inherent frictional strength
Note:- Treatment of soils containing fines in excess of 20% is not
recommended

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What is different in bitumen stabilisation?

waterproofing and adhesion
Volume vs water content - soil agglomerates are coated

with asphalt that prevents or slows

Strength vs water content - increases shear strength by
increasing cohesion

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three basic types of bituminous-stabilized soils

Sand bitumen
Gravel or crushed aggregate bitumen
Bitumen lime

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types of bituminous materials vs the soil

gradation
Open-graded aggregate.
Rapid- and medium-curing liquid asphalts RC-250, RC-800, and MC-3000.
Medium-setting asphalt emulsion MS-2 and CMS-2.
Well-graded aggregate with little or no material passing the 0.075

mm (No. 200) sieve.

Rapid and medium-curing liquid asphalts RC-250, RC-800, MC-250, and

MC-800.
Slow-curing liquid asphalts SC-250 and SC-800.
Medium-setting and slow-setting asphalt emulsions MS-2, CMS-2, SS-1,
and CSS-1.

Aggregate with a considerable percentage of fine aggregates and

material passing the 0.075 mm (No. 200) sieve.

Medium-curing liquid asphalt MC-250 and MC-800.
Slow-curing liquid asphalts SC-250 and SC-800
Slow-setting asphalt emulsions SS-1, SS-01h, CSS-1, and CSS-lh.

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Recommended gradations for bituminous-stabilized

subgrade materials (Joint Departments of the Army
and Air Force, 1994).
Sieve Size

Percent Passing

75-mm (3-in.)

100

4.75-mm (#4)

50-100

600-m (#30)

38-100

75-m (#200)

2-30

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Stabilization with Lime-Cement and LimeBitumen

Combination
clay areas or high plastic soils
Lime to stabilize plasticity and bitumen as a primary

stabilizer
Also as anti striping agent

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Bitumen Emulsion
What is emulsion?
low viscosity
good penetration and spreading capacity
anionic or cationic
rapid setting (RS), medium setting (MS), and slow setting

(SS)
Environmental parameters over cut back

Admixture Design

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Design of admixtures takes on a similar process regardless of the admixture

type.
Step 1. Classify soil to be stabilized.
(% < 0.075 mm - No. 200 sieve, % < 0.425 mm - No. 40 Sieve, PI, etc.)

Step 2. Prepare trial mixes with varying % content.

Lime: Select lowest % with pH = 12.4 in 1 hour
Cement: Use table to estimate cement content requirements
Asphalt: Use equation & table in Appendix F to estimate the quantity of cutback asphalt

Step 3. Develop moisture-density relationship for initial design.

Step 4. Prepare triplicate samples and cure specimens at target density.
Use optimum water content and % initial admixture, +2% and +4%

Step 5. Determine index strength.

Lime and Cement: Determine unconfined compressive strength (ASTM D 5102)
Asphalt: Determine Marshall stability

Step 6. Determine resilient modulus for optimum percent admixture.

Perform test or estimate using correlations (See Chapter 5)

Step 7. Conduct freeze-thaw tests (Regional as required).

(For Cement, CFA, L-C-FA)

Step 8. Select % to achieve minimum design strength and F-T durability.

Step 9. Add 0.5 - 1% to compensate for non-uniform mixing.

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Methods of mixing
In situ
Comparatively economical than off situ
Off situ
Additional Transport cost
Proper mixing
Uniform coating

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Advanced Mixing Process (in-situ)

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Conventional application of bitumen stabiliser

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Case Study
Case Normal available tested soil is used for
A:
testing
Case Normal available soil tested with 3% MS
B:
emulsion added
Case Normal available soil tested with 3% MS
C:
emulsion and 2% cement added
Case Normal available soils tested mixing with 3%
D : of emulsion and 2% of cement added and
wait 5 hour before testing

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Modified proctor test comparison graph

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Determination of optimum bitumen content

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CBR values Comparison Chart

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Summary of the case Study

From this study it is clear that there is a considerable

improvement in California Bearing Ratio (CBR) of sub-grade

due to use of MS bitumen emulsion if proper mixing is done.
It is seen that it best results are obtained if the soil emulsion
mix is left for about five and half hours after mixing.
In each state of condition it was found that CBR value has
increased consecutively from Case A to Case D.
In this particular experimental study CBR value has
increased up to fifty percent of the unmodified soil CBR.
Observing its economic cost and quality of stabilization
improvement, it is clear that this type of stabilization may be
applicable in gravel soil road or in shoulder portion of
highways.

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Summary of the Report

Drainage properties, weather conditions, compressibility, swelling and

shrinkage potential are such parameters to be considered as a part of

durability and performance of the pavement structure.
Bitumen prevents water from entering into compacted layer and provides with
an impermeable layer of compacted soil to the base course of the pavement.
Bitumen act as a binder, improving stability and strength of soil giving higher
CBR value, which have little sensitivity to the moisture attack.
Bitumen like lime and cement is not susceptible for the leaching action and
remains in the soil for longer period giving durability to the pavement
structure.
Bitumen emulsion is to be preferred over cutback from environmental point of
view.
Other additives are cheaper in India than bitumen. From cost consideration
use of bitumen is not at all economical, used as a last resource of
stabilisation if others ways of the soil stabilisation fails.