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Full Depth Reclamation with Cement
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The full-depth reclamation (FDR) with cement process rebuilds worn out asphalt pavements by recycling the existing roadway. The old asphalt and base materials are pulverized, mixed with cement and water, and compacted to produce a strong, durable base for either an asphalt or concrete surface.
Full-depth reclamation uses the old asphalt and base material for the new road. There’s no need to haul in aggregate or haul out old material for disposal. Truck traffic is reduced, and there is little or no waste.
Recycling saves money and natural resources
Full-depth reclamation uses the materials from the deteriorated asphalt pavement, and, with the addition of cement, creates a new stabilized base.
A surface consisting of a thin bituminous chip seal, hot-mix asphalt, or concrete completes the road. The recycled base will be stronger, more uniform, and more moisture resistant than the original base, resulting in a long, low-maintenance life. And most important, recycling costs are normally at least 25% to 50% less than the removal and replacement of the old pavement.
Material conservation: A wise choice
Conserving virgin construction materials through recycling with cement makes smart economic and strategic sense. A century of modern growth and urbanization in America has depleted once plentiful aggregate supplies. Frequently, aggregates may come from distant quarries at great expense. Continuing to exhaust these valuable resources to rebuild existing roads only propagates and accelerates the problem.
Additionally, if old asphalt and base materials are not recycled, they must be disposed of or stockpiled, increasing transportation costs and utilizing valuable landfill space. In some locales, old asphalt can no longer be landfilled. Environmental laws are becoming stricter, thus adding to the expense of mining new materials and landfilling old.
Recycle, Rebuild
Recycling with cement makes the reconstruction of old roads a largely self-sustaining process. The original “investment” in virgin road materials becomes a one-time cost, which is renewed periodically, through cement stabilization and addition of a new, thin surface course.
Old Asphalt, New Foundation
Stabilizing the old asphalt surface, granular base, and underlying subgrade soil with cement creates a strong foundation for the pavement. Usually, there is little need for material to be removed or added. The old, brittle asphalt, when pulverized, becomes a “black gravel” that will bond to hydrated cement readily. The removed material may be suitable for recycling into a new asphalt surface. In case the existing asphalt pavement does not meet the aggregate requirements for a good stabilized base, additional aggregates can be readily incorporated into the recycled aggregate during construction. Also, if there is too much asphalt, some may be milled off and removed prior to the FDR with cement process.
Design and Construction: Simple and Fast
The basic procedure is simple. The complete recycling process can be finished in one day, and local traffic can return almost immediately. The procedure for constructing a road or parking lot using the FDR with Cement process can be found on "The FDR Process" page
www.modot.gov
Thanks to the Portland Cement Association for the text on this and other pages of this website. www.cement.org/pavements
