Explores performance-related procedures to test and select recycled hot-mix asphalt and portland cement concrete materials for use in unbound layers of highway pavements. Appendixes A through C of NCHRP Report 598, which cover the literature review and background information, new aggregate tests, and surface dielectric measurements, were published as NCHRP Web-Only Document 119.

"TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Synthesis 445: Practices for Unbound Aggregate Pavement Layers consolidates information on the state-of-the-art and state-of-the-practice of designing and constructing unbound aggregate pavement layers. The report summarizes effective practices related to material selection, design, and construction of unbound aggregate layers to potentially improve pavement performance and longevity."--Publisher website.

The objective of this research is to establish the technical engineering and cost analysis concepts that will enable WisDOT management to objectively evaluate the feasibility of switching construction specification philosophies for aggregate base. In order to accomplish this goal, field and laboratory testing programs were conducted on existing HMA pavements and on base layers under construction as well as comprehensive survey was conducted on highway agencies practices pertaining to base layer construction in the U.S. and Canada. This research proposed construction specifications for aggregate base course layers.

At head of title: National Cooperative Highway Research Program.

Approximately 10 to 11 million tons of aggregates are utilized in transportation infrastructure projects in Wisconsin annually. The quality of aggregates has a tremendous influence on the performance and durability of roadways and bridges. In this Phase II research study, detailed statistical analyses were performed on over 1,000 sets of historical aggregate test results and the experimental results from the Phase I study. Test results from other states were analyzed as well. Aggregate tests were performed on 12 known marginal or poor Wisconsin aggregates to specifically address test performance of such aggregates. Selected aggregates were scanned using X-ray computed tomography to assess the effects of freeze-thaw and sodium sulfate exposure on the internal void system. The results of multi-parameter logistic regression analyses show that the pass/fail outcomes of the Micro-Deval test can be predicted when LA abrasion, absorption, and sodium sulfate soundness test results are known. The unconfined freeze-thaw test outcomes cannot be predicted from results of other tests (not correlated). Therefore, the unconfined freeze-thaw test should be part of any test protocol as it measures an aggregate characteristic that cannot be obtained from other tests. The percentiles associated with any proposed acceptance threshold limits for various aggregate tests should be determined using the statistical data provided.