Determination of Ash Mixture Properties and Construction of Test Embankment - Part A

The primary objective of this research is to develop guidelines on the utilization of disposed coal ash in highway embankment construction in order to maximize its beneficial use and thus reduce the disposal problem. Evaluations of the environmental, physical and chemical characteristics of Indiana fly and bottom ash have been made previously (Diamond 1985; Huang 1990; Ke 1990). In this study, both Indiana class F fly ash and bottom ash are selected for investigation, and a focus is...
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The primary objective of this research is to develop guidelines on the utilization of disposed coal ash in highway embankment construction in order to maximize its beneficial use and thus reduce the disposal problem. Evaluations of the environmental, physical and chemical characteristics of Indiana fly and bottom ash have been made previously (Diamond 1985; Huang 1990; Ke 1990). In this study, both Indiana class F fly ash and bottom ash are selected for investigation, and a focus is given to investigations of fly/bottom ash mixtures with high fly ash contents. Since the intended use of these materials is as embankment construction materials, emphasis is on their mechanical characteristics including compaction (moisture-density relationship), permeability, strength, stiffness, compressibility and collapsibility. Since the mechanical properties of ash mixtures are dependent on the mixture proportions, the investigations evaluate fly/bottom ash mixtures with different mixture ratios. The results obtained are merged with other considerations relevant to embankment design and construction and used to develop guidelines on coal ash utilization in highway embankments.