Abstract
Cement grouted bituminous (CGB) mix is a bituminous mix in which the air voids are partially or fully filled with a cementitious grout. The bituminous mixture used for preparing CGB mix usually has high air void content, in the range of 25 to 35 %, and has a cementitious grout penetrating the full depth of the CGB mix layer. The relatively nondeformable and moisture-resistant cementitious grout makes the mix more resistant to plastic deformation, and damage due to moisture, oil, and chemical damage compared with conventional dense bituminous mixes. Different combinations of grouted bituminous mixes were developed and evaluated in the past using different cementitious materials. Considering that CGB mix is a semiflexible material, characterizing the material has been a challenging task. Although different predictive models are available in literature for the estimation of the mechanical properties of conventional bituminous mixes, no such models are available for CGB mixes. Different investigations conducted for the evaluation of the mechanical properties such as indirect tensile strength, elastic modulus, and flexural strength of CGB mixes are presented in this paper. CGB mixtures prepared using four different aggregate gradations and four different binder contents were evaluated and the effect of aggregate gradation and binder content on the mechanical properties of the CGB mixes was examined. Predictive models were developed for estimation of the mechanical properties of CGB mixes. Correlations were also developed among different mechanical properties of CGB mixes. It is envisaged that this study will help in understanding the factors that affect the mechanical properties of CGB mixes in a holistic manner.