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Fatigue Life Prediction of Pavement Base Layers Using Supersulfated Cement-Treated Aggregates Considering
Jianying Deng1, Xingyu Hu2, Yucheng Li1
1Shandong Hi-Speed Infrastructure Construction Co., Ltd., Jinan 250000, China.
Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
|July 28, 2026
Summary
Supersulfated cement (SSC) offers a sustainable alternative to ordinary Portland cement (OPC) in aggregate bases. While SSC-treated aggregate (SSC-CTA) shows a lower resilient modulus, it significantly enhances indirect tensile strength and extends structural fatigue life.
Area of Science:
- Civil Engineering
- Materials Science
- Sustainable Construction
Background:
- Cement-treated aggregate bases are crucial in infrastructure but contribute to carbon emissions.
- Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) is a conventional binder, but its environmental impact is significant.
- Supersulfated cement (SSC) presents a lower-carbon alternative for cementitious materials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate supersulfated cement-treated aggregate (SSC-CTA) as a sustainable replacement for OPC-CTA.
- To investigate the nonlinear service behavior and fatigue performance of SSC-CTA.
- To reduce carbon emissions associated with cement-treated aggregate base layers.
Main Methods:
- Dynamic triaxial loading to analyze the resilient modulus under varying bulk and shear stresses.
- Development of a fatigue damage equation based on strain energy and Paris' law.
- Finite element analysis (FEA) to correlate stress-dependent modulus with fatigue life.
Main Results:
- SSC-CTA exhibited a 15.47% lower dynamic resilient modulus (978 MPa) compared to OPC-CTA.
- Both materials showed modulus increase with bulk stress and decrease with shear stress, accurately predicted by the NCHRP 28A model.
- SSC-CTA demonstrated a 52.65% increase in indirect tensile strength (864.3 kPa) and a reduced crack propagation rate.
- FEA predicted a 4.49-35.90% increase in structural fatigue life for SSC-CTA.
Conclusions:
- SSC-CTA is a viable, lower-carbon alternative to OPC-CTA for aggregate bases.
- SSC-CTA offers improved mechanical properties, including higher tensile strength and enhanced fatigue resistance.
- The study successfully links material behavior to structural performance, supporting sustainable infrastructure development.
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