Institute for Transportation

About the research

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) on 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 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.