Quarry By-Product Fines for Otta Seal Surfacing of Local Roads

Details

• Creators:
  Mahala, Neeta ; Kong, Taeyun ; Vyas, Abhilash ; Wang, Yudi ; Tutumluer, Erol ; Hajj, Ramez ; Ceylan, Halil
• Corporate Creators:
  Illinois Center for Transportation
• Corporate Contributors:
  Illinois Department of Transportation. Bureau of Materials ; United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Aggregates Asphalt Emulsions Cost Effectiveness Laboratory Tests Local Roads Local Transportation Low Volume Roads Otta Seal Pavement Maintenance Performance Measurement Quarries Quarry By-Product Surface Treatment Underutilized Quarry Material

  More +
• Publication/ Report Number:
  FHWA-ICT-26-011 ; ICT-26-013 ; UILU-2026-2013
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States ; Illinois
• Edition:
  Final Report: 8/16/24-8/15/26
• Corporate Publisher:
  Illinois. Department of Transportation
• Abstract:
  This report evaluates through comprehensive laboratory testing the potential of utilizing quarry by-products (QBs) in Otta seal applications as a sustainable and economical alternative to conventional aggregates. An asphalt surface treatment used on low-volume roads, Otta seal consists of a relatively thick application of asphalt binder, covered with a graded aggregate layer that allows the use of locally available and marginal-quality materials. Commonly used chip seal design methods were modified to develop a rational design approach for Otta seal, as the conventional Otta seal design procedure is largely empirical. Material characterization was conducted to determine aggregate gradation, physical properties, and emulsion characteristics required for Otta seal design. A double-layer Otta seal configuration was selected based on laboratory optimization involving testing of various configurations and incorporating QBs. The effect of curing temperature and duration on performance was also investigated through weight-loss monitoring and post-curing sweep testing. The performance of laboratory-optimized, QB-based Otta seals was then evaluated and compared with typical Otta seal aggregate through multiple laboratory tests. Performance assessment included sweep testing to evaluate aggregate retention, a modified Hamburg wheel-tracking (HWT) test to evaluate aggregate retention under simulated braking conditions, and close-range photogrammetry to quantify surface texture. The QB-based Otta seal specimens showed performance trends comparable to those constructed with typical Otta seal aggregate. The best-performing design method was selected, and QB-based specimens were further evaluated for susceptibility to bleeding under repeated wheel passes using modified HWT, friction characteristics using a dynamic friction tester, and changes incomposite modulus using a box-test setup with lightweight deflectometer testing. Results indicated that QB-based Otta seal provides adequate resistance to bleeding and sufficient friction for safe traffic movement, demonstrating strong potential as a sustainable and cost-effective pavement-preservation alternative for low-volume roads.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  R27-268
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7361a5ea19ea9e500ad0d236631dd3c35fb806f2c209fac05b4ef84c8c8ee2179e9bc63182beb52840dc2914edb9eee69a75323ec57ebf88f1cec717a58fe9d4
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/92987/dot_92987_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 8.69 MB ]