ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Mater.
Sec. Structural Materials
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmats.2025.1632505
Study on the performance of cement stabilized limestone tailings blending macadam in pavement base
Provisionally accepted
- 1CCCC First Highway Engineering Group Co., Ltd, Bei jing, China
- 2School of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing, China
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Limestone tailings, an underutilized solid waste from cement manufacturing, present dual challenges of low recycling efficiency and restricted engineering applications. This study systematically evaluates the viability of substituting natural aggregates with limestone tailings (0%, 20%, 40%, 60% replacement ratios) in base course composites through an integrated experimental approach. A comprehensive assessment framework was established, combining mechanical tests (compressive/flexural strength), durability evaluations (drying-thermal shrinkage, freeze-thaw resistance, erosion stability), XRD phase analysis, and SEM microstructural imaging. The test results indicate that the micro-particles of limestone tailings exhibit a nucleation effect, and the alkaline components, such as calcium oxide, can promote the hydration reaction. As the tailings content increases, the performance of the mixture initially improves and then declines. The cement tailings content of 20% can increase the compressive strength of the mix by 10% at the 90d curing age, the frost resistance coefficient reaches more than 80%, the dry shrinkage and temperature shrinkage performance are also improved, and the anti-scouring rate is also better than that of the control group mixture. This study demonstrates that replacing some natural aggregates with limestone tailings can conserve natural resources and enhance road performance, which has significant implications for the resource utilization of limestone tailings.
Keywords: Road engineering, Limestone tailings, Base material, Mechanical Properties, Durability performance
Received: 22 May 2025; Accepted: 18 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Li, Liu, Zheng, Zhang, Wang and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Chenxu Liu, School of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing, China
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