Application of Basalt Fibers and Cement Through FDR Technology in the km 93+880 Section of the M2 Yerevan–Goris–Meghri Highway

The maintenance and rehabilitation of road networks remain among the most critical challenges in the global road construction sector, as increasing traffic volumes and pavement deterioration demand efficient solutions. Road repair and maintenance are essential not only for ensuring traffic safety but also for optimizing economic expenditures. Full-Depth Reclamation (FDR) is a pavement rehabilitation method in which the existing pavement—comprising the asphalt concrete surface, the base layer, and in some cases, additional base and subbase layers—is uniformly pulverized and blended to a predetermined depth, producing an improved, homogeneous base material. FDR is carried out entirely on-site without the application of heat. The treatment depth depends on the structure of the existing pavement and typically ranges from 100 to 300 mm. Compared to other technologies for rehabilitating flexible pavements, FDR significantly reduces the need for importing new materials, lowers energy consumption, and decreases harmful atmospheric emissions. The implementation of FDR in road construction began several decades ago, initially involving various mechanisms for pavement treatment, including pulverizers, scarifiers, mixers, and a range of additives. However, the adoption of high-powered self-propelled reclaimers provided significant momentum to the use of FDR, enabling deeper processing, higher productivity, and more reliable control of the stabilization process when additives are introduced. This article examines the impact of applying Full-Depth Reclamation (FDR) technology with cement and basalt fibers as additives on the strength and crack resistance of road pavements. The km 93+880 section of the M2 Yerevan–Goris–Meghri highway in the Republic of Armenia was selected as the experimental test site.