Reclamation and Recycling Techniques to achieve Perpetual Pavements Characteristics

This study evaluates Cold In-place Recycling (CIR) for developing sustainable and cost-effective perpetual pavements. As part of the 2022 National Road Research Alliance (NRRA) construction, four test sections were constructed at the MnROAD mainline section to utilize CIR and additionally assess the effects of incorporating rejuvenator in cold recycled asphalt materials. Two sections included bituminous layer over aggregate base, while the other two included bituminous overlay over stabilized full depth reclamation (SFDR) base layer. For two sections, rejuvenator was incorporated to evaluate its impact on the performance of the cold recycled (CR) layer. Laboratory tests conducted after one year of service showed that even though rejuvenator improved binder fatigue resistance, its benefits were less evident at the mixture level, where cracking resistance declined. Perpetual pavement analysis indicated bottom-up cracking potential in all test sections but suggested that reasonable adjustments to overlay or CIR thickness could achieve perpetual behavior. The contrasting outcomes between binder, mixture, and Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) testing highlight the need for further research to fully understand the effect of rejuvenator on the CR layer/material behavior. Additional testing, focusing on fatigue, rutting, and low-temperature performance, is recommended to refine rejuvenator use in CIR applications and optimize cold recycling techniques for perpetual pavement construction.

• Record URL:
  • https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14153/mndot.18044

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $150,002.47
• Contract Numbers:

  1048377

• Sponsor Organizations:

  National Road Research Alliance

  St. Paul, MN  United States  55155
• Managing Organizations:

  Minnesota Department of Transportation

  395 John Ireland Boulevard
  St Paul, MN  United States  55155
• Performing Organizations:

  University of New Hampshire, Durham

  Department of Civil Engineering
  Durham, NH  United States  03824
• Principal Investigators:

  Olson, Heidi

• Start Date: 20220526
• Expected Completion Date: 20250930
• Actual Completion Date: 20260303

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Cold in-place recycling; Full-depth reclamation; Pavement cracking; Perpetual pavements; Rejuvenators
• Subject Areas: Construction; Highways; Materials; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01989397
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Minnesota Department of Transportation
• Contract Numbers: 1048377
• Files: RIP, STATEDOT
• Created Date: May 15 2026 5:15PM