Loading article...
Loading article...
Stream/Area:
-
Subject:
-
Paper ID:
IJSREM66671
Volume:
10 |
8 |
Aug 2026
Pages:
1-12
Publication Frequency:
Monthly (12 issues per year)
License:International Journal of Scientific Research in Engineering and Management follows the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) License, allowing free use and distribution with proper attribution.
Civil engineering
MVR College of Engineering and Technology (Autonomous
Civil engineering
MVR College of Engineering and Technology (Autonomous
Road transportation infrastructure requires rigid pavement systems that can provide high load-carrying capacity, durability, economical construction and reduced environmental impact. This study investigates an innovative Two-Lift Concrete Pavement (TLCP) system in which Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) and Geopolymer Concrete (GPC) are used as economical and sustainable bottom-lift materials, while Ultra-High-Performance Fibre-Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC) and Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC) are used as high-performance top-lift materials. The research began with an M40 Pavement Quality Concrete (PQC) designed to achieve a target 28-day flexural strength of 4.5 MPa in accordance with IRC:44-2017. The baseline mix was systematically modified to develop RCC, GPC, UHPFRC and ECC, followed by multi-criteria selection using a hybrid Analytic Hierarchy Process–Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (AHP–TOPSIS) framework. The experimental programme covered fresh properties, compressive strength, split tensile strength, flexural strength, modulus of elasticity, abrasion resistance, shrinkage, fatigue behaviour, interlayer bond, microstructural characteristics, full-scale plate loading and finite-element validation. For the two-lift specimens, RCC or GPC occupied approximately two-thirds of the thickness and UHPFRC or ECC approximately one-third, with the top layer placed within about one hour of the bottom layer to promote composite action. At 28 days, the R+U and G+U configurations reached compressive strengths of 69.67 and 78.12 MPa, respectively. Pull-off and bi-surface shear observations showed that failure generally occurred within the bottom lift rather than at the interface, indicating strong interlayer bonding. SEM observations confirmed development of a dense Overlay Transition Zone (OTZ) and increasing C–S–H formation with curing. Weibull-based fatigue analysis further showed that UHPFRC-top configurations possessed the most favourable fatigue performance among the two-lift systems. The combined evidence demonstrates that the proposed TLCP concept can integrate economical structural support with high-performance crack-resistant surfacing, offering a technically feasible and sustainable approach for modern rigid pavements.
KEYWORDS
1. The investigation successfully developed and optimized RCC, GPC, UHPFRC and ECC mixtures for use in a sustainable two-lift rigid pavement system. 2. RCC and GPC provided suitable bottom-lift materials for structural support, while UHPFRC and ECC enhanced the surface layer through high strength, crack resistance and/or ductility. 3. The Two-Lift Concrete configurations achieved strong composite action without increasing the overall pavement thickness. 4. At 28 days, the explicitly reported R+U and G+U compressive strengths were 69.67 MPa and 78.12 MPa, respectively. 5. UHPFRC-top systems produced the highest reported mechanical and fatigue performance among the composite configurations. 6. ECC-top systems provided greater deformation capacity and ductile post-cracking behaviour, complementing the high-strength behaviour of UHPFRC. 7. Pull-off and bi-surface shear tests indicated strong interlayer bonding; most specimens failed within the bottom lift rather than along the interface. 8. SEM observations showed development of a dense Overlay Transition Zone and increased C–S–H formation at 28 days, explaining the improved composite performance with curing. 9. Weibull analysis confirmed the strong influence of stress level on fatigue life and demonstrated the benefit of fibre-reinforced top layers under cyclic loading. 10. The combined mechanical, interfacial, microstructural and fatigue evidence supports TLCP as a technically feasible and potentially sustainable alternative for modern rigid pavement construction.
[1] Abbasi, M., Shafigh, P., & Baharum, M.R. (2021). The effect of coarse to fine aggregate ratio on drying shrinkage of roller compacted concrete pavement in different curing conditions. Materiales de Construccion, 71(342), 1–12. [2] Abbasi, S.M., Ahmadi, H., Khalaj, G., & Ghasemi, B. (2016). Microstructure and mechanical properties of a metakaolinite-based geopolymer nanocomposite reinforced with carbon nanotubes. Ceramics International, 42(14), 15171–15176. [3] Abd Elmoaty, A.E.M., Morsy, A.M., & Harraz, A.B. (2022). Effect of Fiber Type and Volume Fraction on Fiber Reinforced Concrete and Engineered Cementitious Composite Mechanical Properties. Buildings, 12(12). [4] Abdelmelek, N., & Lubloy, E. (2022). Flexural strength of silica fume, fly ash, and metakaolin hardened cement paste after exposure to elevated temperatures. Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry, 147(13), 7159–7169. [5] Abdo, F., Adaska, W., & Burwell, B. (2014). Roller-Compacted Concrete Guide Specification. ACPA Guide Specification, 1–29. [6] Abid, S.R., Shamkhi, M.S., Mahdi, N.S., & Daek, Y.H. (2018). Hydro-abrasive resistance of engineered cementitious composites with PP and PVA fibers. Construction and Building Materials, 187, 168–177. [7] Abut, Y., Yildirim, S.T., Ozturk, O., & Ozyurt, N. (2022). A comparative study on the performance of RCC for pavements casted in laboratory and field. [8] ACI Committee 211.3R. (2002). Guide for Selecting Proportions for No-Slump Concrete. American Concrete Institute. [9] Adak, D., Sarkar, M., & Mandal, S. (2014). Effect of nano-silica on strength and durability of fly ash based geopolymer mortar. Construction and Building Materials, 70, 453–459. [10] Adamu, M., Mohammed, B.S., Shafiq, N., & Liew, M.S. (2018). Effect of crumb rubber and nano silica on the fatigue performance of roller compacted concrete pavement. Cogent Engineering, 5(1).
Publication Date
8/11/2026
Peer Review Type
Double-Blind Peer Review
Review Rounds: 2
Documents
Article Views
0
Total views since publication
PDF Downloads
2
Total downloads since publication
Geographic Reach
5
Digital Preservation: This article is permanently archived on Zenodo and complies with all data preservation standards across major indexing platforms.
Plagiarism Screening
This manuscript has been checked for plagiarism using TurnitinPlagiarismChecker software.
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest related to this research work.
Funding Information
No funding information available for this research.
Related research in the same subject area
Loading similar articles...