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    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
    <docs>http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss</docs>
    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
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      <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
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      <title>Next-Generation Weather-Resistant Pavement Foundations -- High Strength and Durable Stabilized Base Courses </title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2665668</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Durability of the pavement foundation is critical to ensuring a sustainable and resilient roadway infrastructure and minimizing life-cycle costs. This research project explores innovative techniques and materials to improve the durability of base layers, a crucial component of a typical asphalt pavement foundation. The objectives of this project are to explore cement-stabilized FDR mixes with high stiffness for base courses with enhanced resistance against shrinkage cracking. The scope of work consists of preparing and testing FDR mixes with cement (both Type I/II and Type IL) as the main stabilizer, and various concentrations of crack mitigation asphalt emulsions with high maltene content (CM-Emulsion), analyzing the results, and preparing conclusions and recommendations. The cement stabilized materials will be tested for shrinkage crack potential, compressive and indirect tensile strength, and will be evaluated for mineralogical information using XRD for each combination of test variables. The conclusions and recommendations from this study are expected to be beneficial for constructing long-lasting pavements. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 04 Feb 2026 15:33:49 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2665668</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>Base Stabilization Additives – Effect on Granular Equivalency (GE), Phase II Study: Long-Term Performance Evaluation of Field Demonstration Site</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2441389</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Base stabilization is crucial for enhancing the structural integrity of roads by improving the strength and stiffness of the base layer, which is vital for mitigating issues with vulnerable soils and increasing the longevity and performance of road foundations. Despite progress in pavement base stabilization using proprietary additives, there is a critical need for further research to fill knowledge gaps and enhance the use of these additives for more sustainable and cost-effective road infrastructure. The existing body of research mainly focuses on non-proprietary stabilizers, with limited exploration of the performance and economic viability of proprietary options. A study sponsored by the Minnesota Local Road Research Board (LRRB) entitled, “Base Stabilization Additives – Effect on Granular Equivalency (GE)” evaluated the advantages of proprietary additives in treating full-depth reclaimed (FDR) materials by the estimated GE factors, but it also identified areas needing more investigation. The study's life cycle cost analysis (LCCA), based on assumed maintenance scenarios and GE factors, and derived from two years of data, call for further validation and long-term performance assessment. To address these issues and build on the current findings, a proposed Phase 2 study aims to evaluate the long-term performance and durability of stabilized pavement sections with proprietary additives, validate GE factors through extended field monitoring, and assess the economic feasibility of these additives. This subsequent research seeks to advance the understanding of base stabilization practices and develop guidelines for selecting and optimizing proprietary additives, ensuring structural and cost-saving benefits for pavement design.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 14 Oct 2024 14:02:12 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2441389</guid>
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      <title>Enhancing Durability and Sustainability of Pavement Through Full Depth Reclamation and Stabilization Using Novel Materials</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2270234</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The objectives of this project are: (1) To compare the benefits of Full Depth Reclamation (FDR) mixes with a conventional asphalt emulsion, foamed asphalt, and High Yield Emulsion (HYE), through laboratory testing, analysis of data, and evaluate the durability of optimized HYE mix with accelerated loading and testing; (2) To evaluate the use of recycled concrete aggregate fines (fRCA) as a co-additive with cement stabilizer to treat problematic subgrade soils such as expansive soils through engineering, mineralogical, and chemical testing and embodied carbon analysis.
	The following tasks will be pursued by the TAMU team: (1) Collect problematic soil; (2) Procure and characterize fines from recycled concrete aggregate (RCA); (3) Determine optimum dosages of stabilizers and co-additives; (4) Compare performance (untreated and treated soils containing fRCA); (5) Analyze mineralogical and chemical components; (6) Compare benefits; (7) Compare treatment alternatives. The UTEP tasks will include: (1) Collect asphalt and other materials from FDR projects; (2) Develop mix designs with different binders; (3) Collect and analyze FDR projects and binder production data; (4) Test the optimized mix for durability; (5) Analyze data and make recommendations . The results from this research will lead to a better understanding of durability aspects of novel materials, consisting of FDR binders for base and RCA fines for subgrade stabilization. The observations from experiments will be translated to pavement performance under different environmental conditions, such as temperature and precipitation. The data could be utilized for the modeling and performance prediction of recycled/subgrade-treated pavements. The results will lead to the implementation of innovative technology, savings in life cycle/life cycle cost, rehabilitation of a greater mileage of roads, and enhanced road safety. Implementation will include new specifications for FDR and the treatment of subgrade soils. The draft specifications and framework will be prepared for possible inclusion in state or federal specifications, as part of the deliverables. Descriptions of any impediments to the implementation of the specifications/framework and further work, if needed, will also be provided. The envisioned benefits will be in terms of reduced material usage and reduced life cycle costs, which will be quantified from life cycle cost analysis, using the appropriate framework.


]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 20 Oct 2023 09:16:39 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2270234</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Evaluate New Methods to Determine Type and Percentage of Stabilizer in a CSM Layer – Phase I</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2262760</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The proposed research will evaluate the feasibility of using petrographic analysis, x-ray fluorescence (XRF), and x-day diffraction (XRD) to determine both type and percent of stabilizer in a given sample of CSM.  If this phase I effort proves feasible then a phase II will be recommended for applying these techniques to multiple sections included in the SS No. 263 research effort as well as for future use in estimating requisite CSM inputs to Pavement ME for design of rehabilitation projects. In addition, this proposed work assignment will assist Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) with the effort to calibrate the Pavement ME performance models. This will include completing the AASHTOWare Pavement ME Design Input form for each of the 65 sample sections included in SS 263.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 06 Oct 2023 10:37:10 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2262760</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Reclaimed Stabilized Base – Stabilizing Agent Selection &amp; Design</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1663535</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Reclaimed stabilized base (RSB) is a common technique utilized to rehabilitate roadways (e.g. NCHRP 144 Report, 2009; NCHRP 421 report, 2011). RSB involves reclaiming the base material and adding a stabilizing agent (e.g. cement, lime, calcium chloride, emulsion, foamed asphalt) to increase the strength and durability of the subbase structure. In this project, the research team plans to investigate the suitability of the various stabilizing agents for common subbase materials encountered in Vermont roadways and develop a process for VTrans to determine the applicability of RSB for a project, and the appropriate types and percentages of stabilizing agents. The team plans to investigate the performance of the stabilized sub-base materials in winter conditions, including ice lens formation and stiffness as well as long-term (multiple-year equivalents) freeze-thaw implication for durability through accelerated cold room testing. The outcomes of this research will assist VTrans in the scoping phase of the projects to determine applicability of RSB, and in the design and construction phases with guidance on appropriate stabilizing agents, and installation parameters, respectively.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 04 Nov 2019 09:50:14 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1663535</guid>
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      <title>Biocement for Road Repair</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1360873</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Road repair is an expensive operation every year. This cost can be greatly reduced if waste materials from mining and biofuel industries can be used to substitute conventional materials for road repair or construction. The objective of this project is to develop methods to produce a new construction material, biocement, using waste products and apply the new material for road repair and construction. Two types of waste will be used in this study. One is limestone fines produced from a limestone mine in Iowa. Another is organic acids, a byproduct produced from pyrolysis-based biofuel manufacturing process. The limestone fines and organic acids can be used to produce biocement under ambient temperature in an inexpensive way. The cost-effective biocement can be used as a substitute for expensive cement for roads repair and construction. Biocement grout, or biogrout, can be injected directly into cavities or cracks in pavement for road repair. As the viscosity of biogrout is low, biogrout can penetrate better into the road pavement than cement grout. Biocement mixed aggregate can be used for base or subbase for road construction. Biocement solution can also be applied directly onto shoulders as a stabilizer on unpaved roads as a dust control agent. The focus of this project will be on the development of cost-effective biocement products and its effectiveness for road repair. Once the methods for biocement production and its applications are established in lab-scale, field experiments will be carried out as a following up study.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 14 Jul 2015 01:01:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1360873</guid>
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