Stabilized mixture: what it is, what it is used for, the advantages

To create road surfaces —and other surfaces—that are draining and have a low environmental impact, it's necessary to carefully choose the materials used on the construction site. While this may seem obvious to many, it's actually an essential starting point: only by choosing sustainable materials can you create an environmentally friendly and eco-friendly road—or driveway. Therefore, it's important to understand what stabilized concrete is and when to use it.

What is stabilized mix and how is it produced

Stabilized mixed concrete is a sustainable , natural building material obtained from selected calcareous alluvial gravels , to which crushed stone may be added if necessary. The mixed concrete is produced through a three-stage process, during which the calcareous material is first washed, then crushed and sifted. This process yields a material with a uniform grain size that can be used in a wide variety of projects.

Depending on the degree of purity, it is possible to distinguish between first- and second-choice blends. If made exclusively from natural materials, it is a 100% pure stabilized blend; if, however, it is "mixed" with inert materials from building demolitions, it is an "impure" blend and second-choice.

Stabilized mixture: what it is for and uses

Stabilized mix is ​​the "material of choice" for creating draining subbases for various types of roadworks, from major thoroughfares to country lanes, including pedestrian walkways, cycle paths, and parking lots. Its physical characteristics make it particularly suitable for this use: it can be easily compacted while also ensuring solidity and stability for the upper layers of the road surface.

This material can be used for a variety of road construction projects. Stabilized mix, for example, is essential for creating a drainage base for reinforced turf . This particular type of paving allows for the creation of driveways and parking spaces in private gardens or within protected areas and public gardens without interrupting the continuity of the turf. In this case, the mix is ​​used to create a drainage layer a few centimeters thick, in direct contact with the ground, on which the honeycomb structure (such as that of the Garden Grid product line by Terra Solida Italia ) is laid, providing solidity and stability to the entire paving.

Similarly, stabilized quarry mix is ​​essential for the construction of stabilized earth roads or yards . In this case, it's used twice: the mix is ​​used to create both the drainage base and the pavement itself. It must be mixed with inorganic binders, such as those from Terra Solida Italia's Nature Stabil Road line , to create a material that's easy to work with and, once solidified, offers high levels of mechanical strength and permeability.

Of course, stabilized soil can also be used in other road construction projects, but the two just described have an undeniable advantage over those made with alternative materials like concrete or bitumen. Both the grass grid and stabilized soil are environmentally friendly and sustainable solutions : they have a negligible impact on the environment and the ecosystem in which they are installed, ensure proper rainwater drainage, and can be disposed of and recycled without major problems.

The advantages of the stabilized mix

As we've seen previously, stabilized mix is ​​now widely used in most road construction projects. Understanding why isn't too difficult: this relatively inexpensive material offers advantages that are now hard to ignore . Depending on its grain size, for example, stabilized mix can be used both in the deeper sections of the road surface and in the higher sections. In the former case, a mix with larger grain sizes can be used, while as the surface approaches, it's advisable to use a mix with smaller grain sizes. After appropriate compaction, this material possesses physical characteristics that allow for the creation of a compact and homogeneous layer.

Added to this is its natural origin, which makes it perfect for creating eco-friendly road surfaces . When used with other sustainable materials, the road surfaces do not need to be disposed of as hazardous waste, but can be recycled and reused on other construction sites as aggregate from demolition or excavation work.