U.S. Pavement Expert Here For Symposium

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30528, 25 August 1964, Page 16

U.S. Pavement Expert Here For Symposium

Cement-stabilised pavement had been used for about 46,000 miles of reading in the United States as well as many car parks and some secondary aerodromes, and the process would almost certainly be used more and more widely throughout the world, said an American pavement construction expert, Mr E. G. Robbins, in Christchurch last evening. Mr Robbins, supervising engineer with the Portland Cement Association in Chicago, is in Christchurch for a symposium of reading engineers which will be held today and tomorrow. He will be one of the main guest speakers, and is here at the invitation of the -New Zealand Portland Cement Association. Mr Robbins said that the cement-stabilisation system of pavement construction, which was faster and often

cheaper than other methods, had been used in the United States since about 1935. A road would comprise a mixture of cement and insitu materials, plus water, covered by a bituminous compound. The cement would be mixed with sand and clay, or rock, or whatever material was available, in a predetermined percentage, perhaps five, to form a base for the final seal. Use in New Zealand The New Zealand Portland Cement Association says that about 2|m square yards of cement-stabilised pavement has been laid in New Zealand. It has been used on

airports in Wanganui, Gisborne, and Hawke’s Bay, on highways and county and suburban roads, and on streets in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Rotorua, and Wellington. Mr Robbins said that soil cement itself could not be used as the top surface, as it would abrade quickly, but used with a seal it provided a quick way of making a road or parking lot with available materials.

The system, which was particularly suited for use in underdeveloped countries, was used in the United States mainly on roads carrying light traffic. Considerable research was going on into ways in which the cement-stabilisation system could be perfected. On his way to New Zealad Mr Robbins spent a week in Australia, where he gave several addresses, and before coming to Christchurch he travelled through the North Island from Auckland. After the symposium he will return to the United States.

The symposium, the first of its kind to be held in New Zealand, will be opened by the Minister of Works (Mr Alien). Mr R. W. Maze, highways engineer with the Cement and Concrete Association of Australia, will also attend the symposium.