Frequently Asked Questions

Renolith 2.0 enhances the performance of material bound with cementitious binders & pozzolans. It improves:
CBR,
compressive strength,
tensile strength,
flexural strength,
elastic modulus and
impermeability

Renolith 2.0 admixture slightly accelerates binder setting time.  Pavements can usually be lightly trafficked immediately after final compaction and opened to normal traffic after 3 hours. Bitumen/asphalt wearing course (if required) can be laid the next day. Full pavement strength is nominally achieved after 28 days.

Note: Curing time depends on the binder used. Cement bound pavements will cure faster than blends incorporating a high proportion of SCMs.

Pavement (i.e. road) construction costs can be reduced by up to 60%.  Construction cost savings are most substantial on projects where one or more of the following conditions are relevant:
• Remote sites, since fast construction minimises the impact of high labour & transport costs.
• Quarry material is not proximate, since there is no need to transport thousands of tonnes of aggregates
• Poor quality in-situ material, since Renolith works with any in-situ material so remediation work can be avoided
• Difficult climatic conditions (eg. Wet weather, freezing temperatures), since the construction process is minimally impacted by adverse conditions
• Schedule incentives or penalties apply, since construction is much faster than other methods
• Large areas (>10,000sqm), since efficient and continuous construction output can be achieved
• Sustainability criteria or incentives apply, since the project’s carbon footprint can be greatly reduced

Empirical/Design
The first pavements using Renolith admixture were constructed in the late 1990s (eg. Sydney 2000 Olympics). The Brenner Autobahn rehabilitation project was completed in 2006 and carries more than ten million cars and two million heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) per year. These pavements are still in service and performing well. A design life of 50+ years is viable. Pavements have high tensile strength and stiffness, so higher fatigue life can be achieved economically by increasing pavement depth slightly.

Theoretical
Chemical reations (eg. C-S-H & ettringite formation) in cemented composites (ie. concrete) mostly occur over the first few days of hydration, but continue indefinitely. Some of these reactions strengthen the concrete, others degrade it. For example, if concrete is exposed to water for long periods of time, primary ettringite can slowly dissolve and reform in any available voids or microcracks [Lerch, 1945].  So, some concrete can degrade in years/decades; some examples have lasted for millennia (eg. Roman concrete). Renolith inhibits moisture penetration and adverse processes such as sulfate attack. It also incorporates nanotechnology which facilitates high strength/density/quantity of key cement hydration products (eg. C-S-H & ettringite). So, a well designed & constructed pavement incorporating a suitable binder and Renolith admixture will most likely last for centuries, even in adverse environments.

Renolith 2.0 is normally applied at 4-5% of the mass of binder (eg. cement or cement/fly-ash blend).  Depending on the soil and application, binder demand might range from 3% to 20% of the mass of the soil/aggregate. For a typical pavement rehabilitation project, application of 4% binder works well. Refer to the Renolith 2.0 Design Guide for more information.