Laboratory investigation of Portland cement concrete paver blocks made with Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement aggregates

The present study investigates the potential of using Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) aggregates for sustainable concrete paver blocks. Using RAP in its as-received state (with stiff asphalt coating, dust impurities, and agglomerated particles) and a higher proportion of coarse aggregates in the paver block mix design were some of the barriers tried to overcome during the experimental investigation. Fresh, mechanical and durability properties of five different mixes (including a control mix), volumetrically replacing the natural coarse aggregates with coarse RAP in the proportions of 25–100% (at an interval of 25%) were studied. Proper time-controlled compaction using a vibratory hammer and table vibrator helped adequately fabricating the paver blocks with a higher proportion of coarse aggregates in their aggregate skeleton. The results from this study indicated that the inclusion of RAP deteriorated the quality of the manufactured paver blocks both in terms of mechanical and durability properties. However, based on the performance, the paver blocks can be used for medium-traffic based applications.