Asphalt Mixtures with Limestone Aggregate for Base Layer

Asphalt mixtures are mixtures of mineral aggregates, filler, bitumen and eventually additives in proportions determined by recipe designed in the laboratory. Asphalt mixtures used as base course are bituminous concrete.

The natural aggregates are granular materials of mineral origin that come from natural or artificial crushing of the rocks. In our country there are the various rocks: eruptive or magmatic rocks, metamorphic rocks, sedimentary rocks.

To the category of sedimentary rocks belong limestone. Sedimentary rocks are characterized by relatively high porosity and a pronounced stratification, which causes mechanical resistance to be low and vary by direction of load. Due to the structure less dense and weaker mechanical resistance, the limestone are used less in heavy traffic pavement structures.

This paper presents an asphalt mixture recipe for the base layer developed in the Laboratory of Roads from Technical University of Civil Engineering Bucharest (TUCEB), using limestone aggregates extracted from Hoghiz Quarry. The paper contains laboratory test results to determine the recipe and laboratory findings leading to the schedule of product.