Experiences with Cement Stabilisation in Australia and South East Asia

While cement stabilisation has been an alternate for pavement construction for many years, it is in the last 15 years that there have been significant changes in our knowledge and ability to build long lasting cement stabilised pavements. These developments have been as a result of significant improvements in the construction equipment available and in the extensive range of cementitious materials available as binders. While the knowledge of cement stabilisation has increased substantially in certain areas, its future development is also hampered by a lack of knowledge by pavement design consultants. Cement stabilisation is a process and not a product. Attention needs to be given to every facet of the design and construction to achieve best possible results of a cement stabilised pavement. In Australia cement stabilisation dates back to the early fifties where the use of the process was developed as an economic necessity. Today it is considered more as a viable structural alternate with very significant environmental benefits. The paper looks at the development of the process in Australia and South East Asia and the factors leading to its success. It makes recommendations to ensure the best possible outcomes are achieved from using cement stabilised pavements.