Merits and Challenges of Increasing Limestone Addition in Cement Used in Concrete Pavement Construction

Portland cement has undergone much change in recent decades to cater for rapid construction cycles, longer design life and environmental pressure. Increased fineness, the advent of Portland blended cements incorporating one or more supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), and reduced clinker content via mineral addition have been the key technological solutions to meet these demands.

This paper examines how Portland cement with optimum limestone addition (designated Type GP in Australia) can be economically used to meet critical performance requirements, both in fresh and hardened state, in concrete pavement construction. Both Australian and international research and field data will be evaluated with respect to compliance to local Road Authorities specifications and service life. Recent field experience and challenges in placing these concretes using concrete paving machine will be discussed.