Date of Award

10-23-2025

Thesis Type

PhD

Document Type

Thesis

Divisions

Faculty of Engineering

Department

Department of Civil Engineering

Institution

Universiti Malaya

Abstract

The glass industry has been expanding annually due to its extensive use in daily applications and the automobile sector, consequently generating large quantities of waste that are often disposed of in open areas and landfills. Since glass waste (GW) is non- biodegradable, it poses serious environmental concerns and is considered undesirable and less eco-friendly. To reduce these adverse environmental effects, this waste material can be utilized as a replacement to conventional aggregates in the construction of semi- flexible pavement (SFP). Developing durable and resilient pavement infrastructure is essential to addressing current economic and environmental challenges. This research aims to promote a green technology that is sustainable, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective by integrating the excellent load-bearing and performance characteristics of SFPs with the recycling of large amounts of GW. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the characteristics and mechanical performance of SFP composites incorporating high contents of crushed glass waste (CGW) as a fine aggregate (FA) replacement. Two types of cementitious grouts were developed with CGW as a sand replacement (Glcement I and Glcement II). Additionally, two different open-graded aggregate (OGA) fractions (14 mm and 20 mm) were used to design two SFP composites containing CGW, namely GlaSFlex 14 and GlaSFlex 20. OGA mixtures were prepared by replacing the FA with varying CGW contents (0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100%). The GlaSFlex composites were evaluated for draindown, air voids, Marshall stability and flow, compressive strength, Cantabro abrasion loss, permeability, indirect tensile strength (ITS), stiffness modulus, dynamic creep, residual Marshall stability (RMS), residual iv compressive strength (RCS), appearance characteristics, fuel oil resistance, and microstructural behavior. The performance of Glcement grouts was also assessed in terms of flowability, compressive and flexural strength, density, drying shrinkage, and water absorption. The results demonstrated that CGW is a suitable replacement to fine FA in OGA mixtures, as it significantly enhanced the mechanical performance of GlaSFlex composites. CGW was found to be appropriate for use up to 70% in cementitious grouts, satisfying all design requirements. Based on the overall mechanical performance, CGW can replace FA up to 100% in GlaSFlex composites. The optimum CGW replacement levels were 20-40% for GlaSFlex 14 and 40-60% for GlaSFlex 20 composites. The size of the aggregate fraction also exhibited a significant influence on the success of the OGA mixture as a foundation for SFP applications. Overall, the GlaSFlex 20 composites outperformed GlaSFlex 14 in terms of crack resistance, strength, durability, interfacial adhesion, fuel oil resistance, and demonstrated lower impregnation time, asphalt content, and deformation. In conclusion, the favorable mechanical, economic, and environmental outcomes of the GlaSFlex materials presented in this study represent an important step toward sustainable, low-carbon construction technologies that minimize energy consumption and reliance on natural resources.

Initial

Thesis (PhD) - Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaya, 2025.

Additional Information

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Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

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