Sustainable Sub-Ballast Composed of Recycled Aggregates from Reclaimed Asphalt Road Pavements

The commonly employed granular sub-ballast layer in the construction of modern railway tracks consumes a substantial amount of natural aggregates, which may at times be unavailable due to specific requirements.Hence, there arises an opportunity to adopt recycled aggregates to promote sustainable development.The research, focused on the use of reclaimed asphalt pavement as granular sub-ballast, aligns with prior experiences indicating that the utilization of asphalt material can enhance the performance and durability of the layer.The study involves a laboratory investigation into the influence of various design factors on the mechanical performance of the layer, assessing the impact of reclaimed asphalt pavement characteristics and the compaction procedure.Laboratory results, simulating expected service conditions for these materials in railway tracks, have demonstrated the viability and suitability of using recycled asphalt materials to create more sustainable railway tracks.It is feasible to utilize up to 100% granular sub-ballast from reclaimed asphalt pavement aggregates, improving its mechanical behavior by re-compacting the layer at temperatures above 40°C.