however, it usually ranges from 3 to 8 percent for most applications. In general, a cement content that will provide a seven-day unconfined compressive strength of between 300 and 400 psi (2.1 and 2.8 MPa) is satisfactory for most CTB applications. The engineering properties of the CTB mixture are dependent on individual constituent materials that make up the mixture (Le. aggregate material and cement type), curing conditions, and age. Age makes a difference because cement will continue to hydrate over time, which will increase strength. General ranges for compressive strength, modulus of rupture modulus of elasticity, and Poisson’ ratio are listed in Table 6-1 Table 6-1.Typical CTB properties Property, 7-Day Value "300 800 psi Compressive Strength 0 BRS Modulus of Rupt 100-200 psi (Flexural Strength (0.7-1.4MPa) {600,000 — 1,000.00 psi (4,100 - 6,900 MPa) Poisson's Ratio 08 Modulus of Elasticity ACTS serves as an integral component of the pave- ment system. It needs to be strong enough to with- stand the stress and fatigue caused by the enviton- ‘ment in which it is constructed and the loads under which it must perform over an anticipated lifetime Some critical design inputs for calculating CTB thick- ness include the estimated traffic loading during the design life, subgrade strength, and CTB strength, ‘The most common approach for determining CTB thickness is to follow the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Design Guide (1993) procedure for pavement design, which uses a structural layer coefficient to model base material. A major effort is currently underway to regionally calibrate and shift to the new AAS- HTO Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (M-E PDG), Another approach is to use the Portland Cement Association procedure given in the PCA pub- lication “Thickness Design for Soil-Cement Pavements.” The ability of a pavement base to carry loads depends ‘on the strength of the base material and the thickness ‘of the base layer, Although a thin, strong base can theoretically carry the same load as a thick, weaker base, the thicker, weaker base is usually preferred. This is because the thin, stronger base is more brittle and more likely to crack, resulting in potential reflec- tive cracking in the surface pavement. On major highways, typical thicknesses range from 6 to 12 in. (150 to 300 mm), Construction Construction includes initial preparation, process- ing, compaction, finishing, and curing. The following paragraphs give a brief summary of CTB construction Initial preparation includes the following steps: (1) ‘Shape area to crown and grade; (2) Correct unstable subgrade areas; (3) If necessary, scarfy, pulverize, and prewet the soil (in general, not much pulverization is required for CTB); and (4) Reshape crown and grade. Processing is continuous and accomplished in one day, There are two methods for processing CTB: ‘mixed-in-place or central-plant-mixed For CTB mixed-in-place, cement is placed dry onto the surface of the in-place aggregate using a mechani- cal spreader attached to a dump truck or bulk cement truck. The cement may also be placed on the surface in slurry form, The in-place aggregate can be either the existing material or borrowed material. A single- shaft pulvermixer combines the aggregate and cement. If necessary, water is applied on the surface or directly into the mixing chamber. The single-shaft mixer then mixes the cement, water, and aggregate until a uniform, thoroughly mixed material is achieved (see Figure 6-4, Figure 6-5, and Figure 6-6) ‘The central-plant-mixed method requires mixing ‘cement, aggregate material, and water in a stationary plant. Mixing at a central plant is generally done by pugmills or rotary-drum mixers. Rotary-drum mix- ers work well for mixing coarse, nonplastic aggregate ‘material. High-speed rotary shaft pugmuills work well for coarse aggregate material and nonplastic fine-grained material like sands and silts. For plants with rotary-drum or batch-type pugmills, material is 2