Author : George Mohan, Anjum Faizy P, Alpho Annie Jacob, Georgie Jacob and Greeshma Raju

A bituminous concrete mix is a mixture of coarse aggregate, fine aggregate, filler and binder. The mechanical properties of properly compacted pavements are dependent on the interlocking of the aggregate and the consistency of the binder. For the present study, the effect of marble dust and coir fibre on the indirect tensile strength of bituminous concrete mixtures is taken as the topic. Bituminous concrete grade I as per MoRTH and S90 grade bitumen were used. Aggregates and binder were tested for their basic properties to ascertain their suitability for further tests. Modification was done using marble dust and coir fibre. Marshall stability test was conducted to determine the optimum bitumen content for neat bituminous concrete mixes. Then indirect tensile strength (IDT) tests were performed on both neat and modified mixes. IDT test was conducted on BC mix with varying marble content to determine the optimum marble content. Then IDT test was conducted on BC mix prepared with optimum marble content and varying coir fibre content to determine the optimum fibre content. BC mix with 8% marble and 0.5% coir fibre showed maximum strength.

Keywords: Bituminous Concrete Mix, Marshall Stability Test, Indirect Tensile Strength Test, Optimum Bitumen Content, Optimum Marble Content, Optimum Fibre Content.

Article published in International Journal of Current Engineering and Technology, Vol.6, No.4 (Aug-2016)