engineering

Rubblization

Rubblization is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Rubblization rather than just read about it. In short: Rubblization is a construction and engineering technique that involves saving time and transportation costs by reducing existing concrete into rubble at its current location rather than hauling it to another location. Rubblization has two primary applications: creating a base for new roadways and decommissioning nuclear power plants.

Key takeaways

Rubblization belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Rubblization to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Rubblization from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Rubblization is a construction and engineering technique that involves saving time and transportation costs by reducing existing concrete into rubble at its current location rather than hauling it to another location. Rubblization has two primary applications: creating a base for new roadways and decommissioning nuclear power plants.

Road construction In road construction, a worn-out concrete (Portland cement concrete) roadway can be rubblized and then overlaid with a new surface, usually asphalt concrete. Specialized equipment breaks the old roadway into small pieces to make a base for new pavement. This saves the expense of transporting the old pavement to a disposal site, and purchasing and transporting new base materials for the replacement paving. The result is a smoother pavement surface than would be obtained if a layer of asphalt were to be applied to the unbroken concrete surface. The technique has been used on roads since the late 1990s, and is also being used for concrete airport runways. The rubblizing process provides many benefits versus other methods of road rehabilitation, such as crack and seat or removal and replacement of a concrete surface including: rubblizing a concrete surface is 52% less expensive than remove and replacing concrete; rubblizing reduces road reconstruction time from days of lane closures to hours, providing large savings to contractors and reduced impact on travelling public; and rubblization is an environmentally friendly "green" process.,

Nuclear power plant decommissioning Rubblization is used in decommissioning of nuclear power plants. As with other decommissioning techniques, all equipment from buildings is removed and the surfaces are decontaminated. The difference with rubblization is that above-grade structures, including the concrete containment building, are demolished into rubble and buried in the structure's foundation below ground. The site surface is then covered, regraded, and landscaped for unrestricted use. This saves the expense of removing and transporting the building pieces to a different site.

External links Rathmann, Chuck (January 2000). "A Recipe for Rubblization". Road & Bridges. Retrieved 2 January 2010. Wisconsin Department of Transportation (18 November 2009). "Facilities Development Manual: Concrete Pavement Rubblization" (PDF). Retrieved 2 January 2010. ConstructionEquipmentGuide.com (8 October 2008). "Brasfield & Gorrie Rubblizes Tight Deadline on I-65". Retrieved 29 June 2012. Newcomb, Dave (July–August 2008). "Rubblization: A Way to Save Time, Money, and Resources" (Flash). Hot Mix Asphalt Technology. 13 (4): 12–16. Retrieved 5 September 2012. Decker, Dale (2006). Rubblization (IS-132). Lanham, Maryland: National Asphalt Pavement Association.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Rubblization

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Rubblization claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Rubblization before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Rubblization ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Rubblization

In research: Rubblization appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Rubblization in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Rubblization is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Building engineering, Materials, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Rubblization outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Rubblization in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Rubblization means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Rubblization out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Rubblization in simple terms?

Why does Rubblization matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Rubblization?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Rubblization.