TY - GEN
T1 - Moisture and Temperature Monitoring of Unpaved Roads Stabilized with Recycled and Virgin Plastic Composite Geosynthetics
AU - Hasheminezhad, Araz
AU - Ceylan, Halil
AU - Kim, Sunghwan
AU - Tutumluer, Erol
N1 - The research is supported by the Iowa Highway Research Board (IHRB) and Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) (Grants TR-799). The authors confirm contribution to the study as follows: study conception and design: Araz Hasheminezhad, Halil Ceylan, Sunghwan Kim, and Erol Tutumluer; Data collection: Araz Hasheminezhad; analysis and interpretation of results: Araz Hasheminezhad, Halil Ceylan, Sunghwan Kim, and Erol Tutumluer; draft manuscript preparation: Araz Hasheminezhad. All authors reviewed the results and approved the final version of the manuscript.
PY - 2025
Y1 - 2025
N2 - Incorporating recycled plastics into road construction enhances sustainability by conserving energy, reducing costs, and repurposing waste materials. This study evaluates the performance of unpaved roads stabilized with composite geosynthetics made from recycled and virgin plastics. Three full-scale test sections were constructed in Buchanan County, Iowa: one stabilized with a recycled plastic composite geosynthetic, another stabilized with a virgin plastic composite geosynthetic, and a control section without geosynthetics. Each section was instrumented with soil moisture and temperature sensors and exposed to real-world traffic, including loaded trucks and farm equipment. The results showed that both geosynthetics effectively reduced soil moisture, improved temperature uniformity, and enhanced the roads’ bearing capacities. The recycled plastic composite performed comparably to the virgin plastic alternative, demonstrating its potential as a sustainable solution. These findings underscore the promise of recycled plastic geosynthetics for unpaved road stabilization, with long-term monitoring recommended for further validation.
AB - Incorporating recycled plastics into road construction enhances sustainability by conserving energy, reducing costs, and repurposing waste materials. This study evaluates the performance of unpaved roads stabilized with composite geosynthetics made from recycled and virgin plastics. Three full-scale test sections were constructed in Buchanan County, Iowa: one stabilized with a recycled plastic composite geosynthetic, another stabilized with a virgin plastic composite geosynthetic, and a control section without geosynthetics. Each section was instrumented with soil moisture and temperature sensors and exposed to real-world traffic, including loaded trucks and farm equipment. The results showed that both geosynthetics effectively reduced soil moisture, improved temperature uniformity, and enhanced the roads’ bearing capacities. The recycled plastic composite performed comparably to the virgin plastic alternative, demonstrating its potential as a sustainable solution. These findings underscore the promise of recycled plastic geosynthetics for unpaved road stabilization, with long-term monitoring recommended for further validation.
KW - Geogrids
KW - Mechanical stabilization
KW - Recycled plastics
KW - Soil moisture
KW - Unpaved roads
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105010433924
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105010433924#tab=citedBy
U2 - 10.1061/9780784486214.025
DO - 10.1061/9780784486214.025
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:105010433924
T3 - Airfield and Highway Pavements 2025: Design, Construction, Condition Evaluation, and Management of Pavements - Selected Papers from the International Airfield and Highway Pavements Conference 2025
SP - 275
EP - 285
BT - Airfield and Highway Pavements 2025
A2 - Ozer, Hasan
A2 - Watkins, Quintin
PB - American Society of Civil Engineers
T2 - International Airfield and Highway Pavements Conference 2025: Design, Construction, Condition Evaluation, and Management of Pavements
Y2 - 8 June 2025 through 11 June 2025
ER -