When the road contains more than 20-30% clay, will the road surface become too slippery and lose traction?
Road constructed with material containing a high clay content will exhibit slippery surfaces when wet. It is necessary to use as much aggregate as possible to increase overall strength of the road and to increase traction in wet conditions. In many applications surface treatment is applied as part of the overall design. This provides a wearing surface for traction, moisture protection, and greater overall strength. Cost and availability of materials are the primary factors affecting the type of surface treatment, if any. ROADMAXX works well with soils that have a clay content passing a 200 mesh screen between 18% and 30%. This range of fines has been indicated as an acceptable range for road building materials. The State of California Transportation Dept. has tested ROADMAXX in soil that has high clay content and found approx. 27% increase in unconfined compressive strength using ROADMAXX. The soil tested was substantial clay with over 95% passing a 200 mesh screen. The clay is classif
