Road Materials is a course of the Master Degree in Road Infrastructures and Transport. This degree aims at training a highly professional figure in civil engineering with specific knowledge and skills in road infrastructures design and management and transportation issues.
Within this degree, Road Materials is aimed at providing students with the knowledge and understanding of road construction materials such as soils, aggregates and binders, both in terms of physical and mechanical characterization and acceptance requirements in road infrastructure design and material selection procedures and protocols.
At the end of the course the students will be able to: 1) verify if a soil, an aggregate and a binder is applicable for road constructions or not and in such case decide if some measures could be applied to modify it and make it feasible for the construction of the road pavements or embankments; 2) characterize physically and mechanically a road material by means of laboratory tests and on site tests; 3) examine and analyse laboratory reports; 4) define procedures and protocols for realizing a road constructions as pavements and embankments.
Within this degree, Road Materials is aimed at providing students with the knowledge and understanding of road construction materials such as soils, aggregates and binders, both in terms of physical and mechanical characterization and acceptance requirements in road infrastructure design and material selection procedures and protocols.
At the end of the course the students will be able to: 1) verify if a soil, an aggregate and a binder is applicable for road constructions or not and in such case decide if some measures could be applied to modify it and make it feasible for the construction of the road pavements or embankments; 2) characterize physically and mechanically a road material by means of laboratory tests and on site tests; 3) examine and analyse laboratory reports; 4) define procedures and protocols for realizing a road constructions as pavements and embankments.
teacher profile teaching materials
The program of the course is structured in three overall section according to the following scheduling:
Soil (from lecture 1 to lecture 19)
- soil properties: soil formation, solid, liquid, and gas phases of soil, water in soils, index properties (water content, void ratio, density, porosity), permeability, real and apparent cohesion, grain size analysis, atterberg limits (plasticity index, liquid and plastic limit), aashto soil classification system, other soil classification;
- soil mechanics: stresses in soils, compressibility, plasticity, consolidation, soil compaction, degree of compaction, stabilization, bearing capacity;
- soil applications: preloading, vertical drains, grouting, construction of embankments on soft clay or silt, acceptance requirements, technical provisions for use of soils;
- other road construction materials: geosynthetics, sources and types of waste materials, waste materials in geotechnical engineering applications, c&d materials, expanded clay, expanded poly styrene; fly ashes, furnace slags, waste tyres;
- laboratory and in situ tests (with international regulations): granulometric analysis, moisture content of soil, atterberg limits, standard and modified proctor, california bearing ratio, benkleman beam, plate load tests, (light) falling weight deflectomer, in-situ density and moisture content, bulk and true density.
Aggregates (from lecture 20 to lecture 23)
- definitions and general properties of aggregates; procedure and terminology for simplified petrographic description;
- geometrical properties: determination of particle size distribution, particle shape (flakiness index, shape index), assessment of surface characteristics, assessment of fines (sand equivalent test, methylene blue test);
- mechanical and physical properties: methods for the determination of resistance to fragmentation (la abrasion, impact test), resistance to wear (micro-deval), particle density and water absorption, particle density of filler, voids of dry compacted filler, polished stone value, compressive strength;
- thermal and chemical properties: determination of resistance to freezing and thawing, chemical analysis;
- tests for property characterization;
- acceptance requirements
Binders (from lecture 24 to lecture 27)
- bitumen
- definition and sampling of bituminous binders (solid, liquid and bitumen emulsion), foamed bitumen;
- properties and test: bitumen stiffness, visco-elastic behavior of asphaltic bitumen, stiffness or rheological property at elevated service temperature, stiffness and/or fracture at low service temperature, ageing for durability assessment, stiffness at intermediate service temperature, van der poel's homographs, heukelom's diagrams, determination of the penetration index of bitumen, determination of needle penetration, determination of softening point (ring and ball method), determination of the fraass breaking point, determination of the resistance to hardening under the influence of heat and air - rtfot method, viscosity, ductility;
- acceptance requirements;
- hydraulic binders
- main properties and tests, acceptance requirements.
Other reference materials:
Norme CNR – UNI
Ferrari, Giannini: Ingegneria Stradale. Vol II “Corpo stradale e pavimentazioni”
Tesoriere: Strade, Ferrovie ed Aeroporti. Vol II
Programme
The course of road materials will provide students with fundamental issues and knowledge of road construction materials such as soils, aggregates and binders both in terms of physical and mechanical characterization and acceptance requirements in road infrastructure design and materials selection. Some lectures will be developed in laboratory and others are dedicated to exercises.The program of the course is structured in three overall section according to the following scheduling:
Soil (from lecture 1 to lecture 19)
- soil properties: soil formation, solid, liquid, and gas phases of soil, water in soils, index properties (water content, void ratio, density, porosity), permeability, real and apparent cohesion, grain size analysis, atterberg limits (plasticity index, liquid and plastic limit), aashto soil classification system, other soil classification;
- soil mechanics: stresses in soils, compressibility, plasticity, consolidation, soil compaction, degree of compaction, stabilization, bearing capacity;
- soil applications: preloading, vertical drains, grouting, construction of embankments on soft clay or silt, acceptance requirements, technical provisions for use of soils;
- other road construction materials: geosynthetics, sources and types of waste materials, waste materials in geotechnical engineering applications, c&d materials, expanded clay, expanded poly styrene; fly ashes, furnace slags, waste tyres;
- laboratory and in situ tests (with international regulations): granulometric analysis, moisture content of soil, atterberg limits, standard and modified proctor, california bearing ratio, benkleman beam, plate load tests, (light) falling weight deflectomer, in-situ density and moisture content, bulk and true density.
Aggregates (from lecture 20 to lecture 23)
- definitions and general properties of aggregates; procedure and terminology for simplified petrographic description;
- geometrical properties: determination of particle size distribution, particle shape (flakiness index, shape index), assessment of surface characteristics, assessment of fines (sand equivalent test, methylene blue test);
- mechanical and physical properties: methods for the determination of resistance to fragmentation (la abrasion, impact test), resistance to wear (micro-deval), particle density and water absorption, particle density of filler, voids of dry compacted filler, polished stone value, compressive strength;
- thermal and chemical properties: determination of resistance to freezing and thawing, chemical analysis;
- tests for property characterization;
- acceptance requirements
Binders (from lecture 24 to lecture 27)
- bitumen
- definition and sampling of bituminous binders (solid, liquid and bitumen emulsion), foamed bitumen;
- properties and test: bitumen stiffness, visco-elastic behavior of asphaltic bitumen, stiffness or rheological property at elevated service temperature, stiffness and/or fracture at low service temperature, ageing for durability assessment, stiffness at intermediate service temperature, van der poel's homographs, heukelom's diagrams, determination of the penetration index of bitumen, determination of needle penetration, determination of softening point (ring and ball method), determination of the fraass breaking point, determination of the resistance to hardening under the influence of heat and air - rtfot method, viscosity, ductility;
- acceptance requirements;
- hydraulic binders
- main properties and tests, acceptance requirements.
Core Documentation
eacher's lectures and digital materials (i.e. video of lectures). Each lecture is recorded by the professor who then upload the video and other materials useful for the students in Moodle platform.Other reference materials:
Norme CNR – UNI
Ferrari, Giannini: Ingegneria Stradale. Vol II “Corpo stradale e pavimentazioni”
Tesoriere: Strade, Ferrovie ed Aeroporti. Vol II
Type of delivery of the course
The course consists in 27 lessons in class and laboratory. Each lecture is recorded by the professor who then upload the video and other materials useful for the students in Moodle platform. Should the COVID-19 emergency continue, the course will implement all the indications provided by the university. If needed, video-lectures will be broadcast and recorded, with the appropriate modes of interaction with students, on site or remote.Type of evaluation
Oral exam and evaluation of the exercises developed by students during the course. Should the COVID-19 emergency continue, the oral exam will be developed through telco by means of Microsoft Teams