Application of cement-treated recycled materials in the construction of a section of road in Malaga, Spain

• Recycled aggregates from crushed concrete were used in a real section of road.
• The Cement-treated recycled aggregates exhibited adequate structural behaviour.
• Different mixtures were produced, which all demonstrated satisfactory long term results.
• Recycled Aggregates presented a higher water absorption capacity in the Real Application.
• Deflections demonstrated the feasibility of the use of these recycled materials in road constructions.

In Spain, there is a low rate of application of recycled aggregates in construction of road bases and sub-bases. Recycled aggregates from crushed concretes (RCA) are usually used as unbound material in road structural layers. Recent studies have confirmed the possibility of applying these RCA in road bases as Cement Treated Granular Material (CTGM), which would result in greater effectiveness in terms of its mechanical behaviour as well as its durability. In this paper, it is included a research based on a real application performed in the construction of a road base, in which these RCA were applied in the production of CTGM. The results concluded that the effectiveness of those sections built using recycled aggregates was similar those constructed using natural aggregates. As a result, the application of RCA treated with cement is a real alternative in the construction of road bases and sub-bases.