CATEGORY 900 MATERIALS SECTION 900 — GENERAL
900.01 General
Sample, test, and inspect all materials included in this Category as specified in the most recently published cited standards. The specification limits for each material are established and deviations from these limits are prohibited except when, in the judgment of the Engineer, the deviation will not be detrimental to the work. In these cases, refer to the appropriate specification governing price adjustments for nonconformance. Within 30 days after receipt of notification of award of the Contract, submit in writing, to the Office of Materials Technology (OMT), the proposed sources of all materials to be incorporated into the project. Update and submit all nursery stock sources to OMT 45 days prior to the planting season in which the planting is to begin. Do not introduce material into the work until sources are approved. The Administration reserves the right to completely or partially test any material for Specification compliance. Sample according to the Administration’s Sample Testing and Frequency Guide unless otherwise directed. All source approvals are made subject to continuing production of materials conforming to these Specifications. Material sources may be rejected where it is evident that the material tends to be of marginal quality when compared to the Specification limits in any of its specified properties.
900.02 Technician Qualification Requirements
Technicians performing Quality Assurance (QA)/Quality Control (QC) sampling and testing shall be qualified through the certification program provided by the Administration. Private laboratories performing testing shall be in the AASHTO Accreditation Program or approved by the Administration. Technicians include those who work for inspection agencies, Contractors, consultants, producers, private laboratories, and State and local government employees.
900.03 Recycled Materials
900.03.01 CERTIFICATION. All recycled or rehandled material furnished or supplied for use
may require testing and certification to ensure compliance with all State and local applicable environmental and EPA regulations. The required testing may include, but not be limited to, the EPA Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) or its successor. Provide testing and certification for all recycled materials at no additional cost to the Administration. Evaluation and 2025 STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS FOR CONSTRUCTION AND MATERIALS 2025 STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS FOR CONSTRUCTION AND MATERIALS interpretation of the test data will be made by an OMT QA Manager. The above requirements do not preclude the normal materials acceptance process, and the recycled material shall meet all applicable specifications. EPA regulations governing the use of the material, certified test results, and material safety data sheets shall accompany the source of supply letter and sample submitted for approval. Only highway demolition materials are to be used in constructing reclaimed/recycled concrete stockpiles for Administration projects. The use of building materials is prohibited. Refer to the Contract Documents for recycled materials not covered by this specification. 900.03.02 RECLAIMED/RECYCLED CONCRETE (RC) Usage. Use RC for the following with written approval.
a.Graded Aggregate Base (GAB). (b) Common, Select, or Modified Borrow.
1.At least 2 ft above saturated soil or groundwater conditions, as determined. (2) At least 100 ft from surface waters (streams, creeks, or rivers, ponds and lakes). (3) At least 3 ft from exposed metal surfaces. (4) At least 3 ft from geotextile. (5) At least 3 ft from any water discharge locations. Do not use RC as Capping Borrow nor as aggregate for the following.
a.Portland cement concrete. (b) Asphalt mixes. (c) Drainage systems. (d) Mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) systems.
1.MSE walls. (2) Reinforced soil slopes (RSS). (3) Reinforced earth slopes (RES).
e.In embankment construction as follows. 2025 STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS FOR CONSTRUCTION AND MATERIALS
1.Within 1.5 ft of the top surface of any area to be vegetated.
2.Within 2 ft of saturated soil or groundwater conditions, as determined. (3) Within 100 ft of any surface water course (streams, creeks, or rivers, ponds and lakes).
4.Within 3 ft of any metal pipe or shoring. (5) Within 3 ft of any water discharge locations. (6) Under permeable or porous surfaces. Grading Requirements. The grading requirements for the use of RC.
a.Table 901 A when used as GAB or for any other application within the pavement structure.
b.204.02 when used in embankment construction. (c) 916.01 when used as Borrow material. RC shall not contain more than 5 percent brick and asphalt mix material by mass except when used as Common Borrow. pH Requirements. RC pH shall be less than 12.4 for all applications. RC usage shall not cause any outfall and infiltration water leaving the site to exceed a pH of 8.5. Acid sulfate, sulfur or any other environmentally safe organic material may also be used to control the pH. pH Testing.
a.Plant: The producer is required to test pH at the plant per T 289 every 1000 tons shipped or once a day, whichever yields the greater frequency. Plant pH testing shall be recorded as specified and a history shall be kept at the producer’s laboratory. The producer may be required to present TCLP and any other tests conducted by an independent laboratory as directed. The Administration reserves the right to test the producer’s RC at the plant for pH. Material delivery may be terminated if the test results repeatedly meet or exceed a pH of 12.4. In case of high pH the producer is require to use shorter stock pile by spreading the material at around the plant or mixing the RC-GAB with the natural GAB to reduce the pH issue.
b.Construction Site: The OMT representatives will perform QA testing to monitor, test, for the pH levels for any discharge associated with RC placement as directed. This includes monitoring and testing during periods of precipitation or dampness. In cases of high pH, the producer shall provide a reduction control plan for the pH. Quality Control. The producer shall submit a Quality Control Plan and obtain approval prior to production. The plan shall include, but not be limited to, the operational techniques and procedures proposed to produce the RC product. QC includes the sampling, testing and data recording performed to validate the quality of the product during production operations. Quality Assurance. OMT QA personnel will perform quality assurance inspection, sampling, and testing at the RC plant and construction site. Additional inspection, testing and compaction control will be performed by the Engineer.
900.03.03 RECYCLED ASPHALT PAVEMENT (RAP) Usage. Use RAP for Common, Select, Capping, or Modified Borrow. Do not use RAP as aggregate for the following.
a.Graded Aggregate Base (GAB). (b) Portland cement concrete. (c) Drainage systems. (d) Embankment construction.
1.Within 1 ft of the top surface of any area to be vegetated. Refer to MSMT 412 and M 323 for the use of RAP in asphalt mixes. Grading Requirements. The grading requirements for the use of RAP.
a.204.02 when used in embankment construction, (b) 916.01 when used as Borrow material, (c) 901.02.01 when used as riprap. Quality Control. Create a captive stockpile for storing the RAP prior to use. Create a new captive stockpile and take new acceptance samples for gradation approval whenever the source of the RAP changes. 2025 STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS FOR CONSTRUCTION AND MATERIALS 2025 STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS FOR CONSTRUCTION AND MATERIALS Quality Assurance. OMT QA personnel will sample and test the RAP stockpiles to ensure that they meet the above gradation requirements. The completed test results will be reviewed by the OMT Soils and Aggregate Division for approval. Construction of Control Test Strip. The location, equipment, and methods used to construct the control test strip shall be as directed; prior to approval. The equipment and methods used to construct the control test strip shall be the same as those used in subsequent construction. Place and test the control test strip when the RAP is 32 F or higher to establish the maximum density. RAP is temperature sensitive, which may affect the density. Construct the control test strip that shall be at least 100 ft long, 12 ft wide and a maximum compacted lift thickness of 6 in. Prepare the subgrade for the control test strip in accordance with 204.03.07. Do not construct the control strip, or perform any subsequent construction, on frozen subgrade. Compact the RAP for the control test strip with one pass of the roller. Measure the density after one pass with a nuclear density gauge (backscatter method) at the frequency for capping material at five random locations distributed across the length and width of the control test strip, as directed. Record the measurements and mark the locations for future reference. Compact the RAP for the control test strip with a second pass of the roller. Measure and record the density again at the exact locations previously tested and as described above. Prepare a plot of density versus the number of roller passes. Continue this process until the maximum dry density of the control strip is established. There should be no drop in average density during construction of the control test strip for each lift. A drop in the average density of greater than 2 pcf during construction of the control test strip is an indication that the material is not properly compacting, and a new test strip shall be constructed. The Engineer may require the Contractor to cut into the control test strip for visual inspection. All material, labor, equipment, tools, and incidentals necessary to provide an approved control test strip shall be at no additional cost to the Administration. Compaction Control. Use the roller pattern and number of passes determined from the construction of the test strip to compact the RAP for production placement. The density of the RAP compacted for production work shall be at least 97 percent of the maximum density obtained from the control test strip. Recheck the density of the production work if it is less than 97 percent of the maximum density obtained from the control test strip. Construct a new control test strip if the second density does not meet the 97 percent requirement. Construct a new control test strip if the measured density of the compacted RAP for production work exceeds 105 percent. Establish one rolling pattern to achieve maximum density for each use based on the control test strips. Samples or results produced prior to the construction of any new stockpiles will not be considered. 901 — AGGREGATES 2025 STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS FOR CONSTRUCTION AND MATERIALS CATEGORY 900 MATERIALS SECTION 901 — AGGREGATES 901.01 This Section includes the material details, quality requirements, and test methods applicable to aggregates. Grading requirements are outlined in Tables 901 A and 901 C; physical properties in 901 B and 901 D. Force drying may be used in the preparation of samples for grading tests conducted in the field. TABLE 901 A AGGREGATE GRADING REQUIREMENTS - T 27 SIEVE SIZE 2-1/2” 2” 1-1/2” 1” 3/4” 1/2” 3/8” No. 4 No. 8 No. 10 No. 16 No. 30 No. 40 No. 50 No. 100 No. 200 MATERIALS 63 mm 50 mm 37.5 mm 25 mm 19 mm 12.5 mm 9.5 mm 4.75 mm 2.36 mm 2.0 mm 1.18 mm 600 µm 425 µm 300 µm 150 µm 75 µm CRUSHER RUN AGGREGATE CR -6 (f)(g) — 100 90-100 — 60-90 — — 30-60 — — — — — — — 0-15 BANK RUN GRAVEL — SUBBASE 100 — — 90-100 — 60-100 — — — 35-90 — — 20-55 — — 5-25 GRADED AGGREGATE — BASE DESIGN RANGE (a) — 100 95-100 — 70-92 — 50-70 35-55 — — — 12-25 — — — 0-8 TOLERANCE (b) — (-)2 ±5 — ±8 — ±8 ±8 — — — ±5 — — — ±3( c) BANK RUN GRAVEL — BASE 100 — — 85-100 — 60-100 — — — 35-75 — — 20-50 — — 3-20 57 and UNDERD RAIN (h) — — 100 95-100 — 25-60 — 0-10 0-5 — — — — — — — 67 — — — 100 90-100 — 20-55 0-10 0-5 — — — — — — — COARSE AGGREG ATE -PORTLA ND CEMENT CONCRE TE 7 — — — — 100 90-100 40-70 0-15 0-5 — — — — — — —
Source: Maryland Standard Specifications for Construction and Materials, 2025 Edition. Pages 916–920 of 1,113.