Assessing the Impact of Geosynthetic Interlayers on Laboratory Cracking and Delamination of Hot-Mix Asphalt Mixtures

Author(s):  
Sean Cullen ◽  
Daniel Offenbacker ◽  
Ayman Ali ◽  
Yusuf Mehta ◽  
Christopher Decarlo ◽  
...  

This study evaluated the impact of geosynthetic interlayers on crack retardation and delamination within hot-mix asphalt mixtures. Five different geosynthetic interlayers (three geogrids, one geotextile, and one geocomposite) were considered in this study and varied in opening size, tensile strength, and bonding additive. Two asphalt binder tack coats—PG 64-22 and PG 76-22—were selected and applied at a rate of 0.95 L/m2 (0.21 gal/yd2) based on literature and manufacturer recommendations. Three-point bending (3PB) tests were conducted to assess the cracking and delamination resistance of geosynthetic interlayers. Digital images were recorded during 3PB testing and analyzed using digital image correlation to track specimen movements at the interface under flexural loading. The results showed that specimens with geosynthetic interlayers had higher fracture energy and slower crack propagation rates compared with control specimens. More specifically, fiberglass geogrid interlayers showed the greatest ability to retard crack propagation, with crack propagation rates of 0.07 mm per second (mm/s) compared with control (0.14 mm/s) and other geosynthetics (between 0.08 mm/s and 0.10 mm/s). With respect to delamination, control two-lift and geotextile interlayer (GTX-P) specimens showed the least amount of horizontal delamination. When evaluating the rate at which delamination spread, geotextile specimens (GTX-P) and geocomposite specimens showed slower spread of delamination compared with geogrid interlayers. Overall, the results from this study showed the use of geosynthetic interlayers improved cracking resistance and caused little to no delamination along the asphalt interface.

2012 ◽  
Vol 174-177 ◽  
pp. 82-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ju Nan Shen ◽  
Zhao Xing Xie ◽  
Fei Peng Xiao ◽  
Wen Zhong Fan

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of nano-sized hydrated lime on the moisture susceptibility of the hot mix asphalt (HMA) mixtures in terms of three methodologies to introduce into the mixtures. The experimental design for this study included the utilizations of one binder source (PG 64-22), three aggregate sources and three different methods introducing the lime. A total of 12 types of HMA mixtures and 72 specimens were fabricated and tested in this study. The performed properties include indirect tensile strength (ITS), tensile strength ratio (TSR), flow, and toughness. The results indicated that the nano-sized lime exhibits better moisture resistance. Introducing process of the nano-sized lime will produce difference in moisture susceptibility.


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Daniel Steiner ◽  
Bernhard Hofko

The cooling test or Thermal Stress Restrained Specimen Test (TSRST) simulates fully restrained pavements, as they occur in field for laboratory assessment of the thermal cracking resistance of asphalt mixtures. In the TSRST, cryogenic stress builds up due to cooling and prevented shrinkage until the tensile strength of the specimen is exceeded and the specimen fails by cracking. By carrying out TSRST various viscoelastic parameters, e.g. relaxation, evolution of tensile stresses, and tensile strength can be analyzed. Thus, a comprehensive view on the low temperature performance is possible. Standard TSRST is controlled by setting the cooling rate of the air within the chamber at a fixed value, e.g. -10°C/h. In thermodynamics, the actual cooling rate of objects is not only influenced by the cooling but also by external conditions like humidity, air velocity, radiation condition, etc. A current study investigates the impact of additional cooling parameters rather than just the air cooling rate. Two test machines of the same manufacturer that differ in the year of production and the setup of the climate chamber are compared. An initial wide scatter of test results from the two devices could be explained by taking thermodynamics into account and the reproducibility could be significantly enhanced.


Author(s):  
Gerald A. Huber ◽  
Xishun Zhang ◽  
Robin Fontaine

The Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP) spent $50 million researching asphalt binders and asphalt mixtures and provided three main products: an asphalt binder specification, an asphalt mixture specification, and Superpave, an asphalt mixture design system that encompasses both the binder and mixture specification. SHRP researchers have provided tools that promise more robust asphalt mixtures with reduced risk of premature failure. Implementation of the specifications and mix design system will require overcoming several obstacles. Superpave must be demonstrated to be practical and easy to use. The impact of Superpave aggregate requirements on aggregate availability must be determined. The Superpave gyratory compaction procedure has been uniquely defined and then calibrated to traffic volume. The reasonableness of this approach must be tested in widespread application. Perhaps the largest implementation hurdle exists in the performance models. Expensive test equipment is necessary to do the performance-based tests. The performance predictions must be established as reasonable to justify the cost. A highway reconstruction project containing three Superpave Level 1 mix designs is documented including quality control done with the Superpave gyratory compactor. Superpave Level 2 performance-based tests were carried out to predict permanent deformation of the design and the mixture as constructed. The performance-based engineering properties obtained from the tests are evaluated, and the reasonableness of the performance prediction models is discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (16) ◽  
pp. 5480
Author(s):  
Jong-Il Kim ◽  
Yong-Hak Huh ◽  
Yong-Hwan Kim

The dependency of the static residual tensile strength for the Glass Fiber-Reinforced Plastic (GFRP) laminates after impact on the impact energy level and indent shape is investigated. In this study, two different laminates, unidirectional, [0°2]s) and TRI (tri-axial, (±45°/0°)2]s), were prepared using the vacuum infusion method, and an impact indent on the respective laminates was created at different energy levels with pyramidal and hemispherical impactors. Impact damage patterns, such as matrix cracking, delamination, debonding and fiber breakage, could be observed on the GFRP laminates by a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and it is found that those were dependent on the impactor head shape and laminate structure. Residual in-plane tensile strength of the impacted laminates was measured and the reduction of the strength is found to be dependent upon the impact damage patterns. Furthermore, in this study, stress concentrations in the vicinity of the indents were determined from full-field stress distribution obtained by three-dimensional Digital Image Correlation (3D DIC) measurement. It was found that the stress concentration was associated with the reduction of the residual strength for the GFRP laminates.


2011 ◽  
Vol 255-260 ◽  
pp. 3432-3436
Author(s):  
Xian Yuan Tang ◽  
Jie Xiao

This paper systematically elaborates the impact upon performance of emulsion asphalt cold reclaimed asphalt mixture by different RAP contents, through a series of testing on six cold reclaimed asphalt mixtures with various RAP contents, such as single axle compression test, 15°C indirect tensile strength (ITS) test, 40°C rutting test and -10°C low-temperature bending beam test. Testing results indicate that 15°C ITS decreases from around 0.75 MPa to 0.58 MPa with the RAP content of mixture increasing from 0% to 100%. 40°C dynamic stabilities reduce considerably from around 19,000 time/mm of 0% RAP mixture to 3,600 time/mm of 100% RAP mixture. -10°C failure strains only change from 1500με to 2000με.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 57-63
Author(s):  
Omar T. Mahmood ◽  
Sheelan A. Ahmed

Cracking in the flexible pavement is a serious problem that reduces the service life of the roads pavement unless they are treated with great care. Since flexible pavement is very weaker in tension than in compression, it is usually necessary to consider the tensile stresses and some type of additives to improve asphaltpavement performance, and one of the most effective ways of improving asphalt pavement performance is to reinforce asphalt mixtures by incorporating natural fibers. The main objective of this study is to use palm fiber, which is locally available, in hot mix asphalt mixtures. To achieve this objective, the Marshall test and indirect tensile strength test were conducted on four asphalt mixtures with different types of natural fibers (Coconut, Corn, Palm, and Sisal), added in varying percentages 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5% and different lengths of fiber 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 cm. Based on the analyzed results, it can be concluded that the use of palm fiber increased the Marshall stability by 20% as compared with the conventional mixture and raised up the retained tensile strength ratio up to 92%. Finally, the use of 0.2% content of natural fiber at 1.5 cm length gave a better performance for the mixtures.


2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 89-101
Author(s):  
Mohammed Qadir Ismael ◽  
Ahmed Hussein Ahmed

Moisture induced damage can cause a progressive deterioration in the performance of asphalt pavement by the loss of adhesion between asphalt binder and aggregate surface and/or loss of cohesion within the binder in the presence of water. The objective of this paper is to improve the asphalt mixtures resistance to moisture by using hydrated lime as an anti-stripping additive. For this purpose, two types of asphalt binder were utilized; asphalt grades (40-50) and (60-70) with one type of aggregate of 19.0 mm aggregate nominal maximum size, and limestone dust as a mineral filler. Marshall method was adopted to find the optimum asphalt content. Essentially, two parameters were determined to evaluate the moisture susceptibility, namely: The Index of Retained Strength and the Tensile Strength Ratio. The hydrated lime was added by 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 percentages (by weight of aggregate) using the saturated surface dry method. It was concluded that using hydrated lime will improve the moisture damage resistance. This was adopted as the value of tensile strength ratio increased by 24.50 % and 29.16% for AC (40-50) and AC (60-70) respectively, furthermore, the index of retained strength also increased by 14.28 % and 17.50 % for both asphalt grades. The optimum hydrated lime content founded to be 1.5 %.  


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (5A) ◽  
pp. 789-800
Author(s):  
Duaa A. Khalaf ◽  
Zaynab I. Qasim ◽  
Karim H. Al Helo

This research investigates the behavior of Stone Matrix Asphalt mixtures (SMA) modified with styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) polymer at four percentages (1, 2, 3 and 4%) by weight of asphalt cement. The moisture susceptibility and rutting were taken into consideration in this study. To achieve the objective of this research the superpave system is conducted to design the asphalt mixtures. The physical properties of aggregate, bitumen and other mix materials were assessed and evaluated with the laboratory tests. The mixtures were prepared using penetration Graded (40-50) bitumen and a chemical named Polypropylene Fibers was used as a stabilizing additive. Fibers have been used in SMA mixtures for two main reasons: To increase the toughness and fracture resistance of hot mix asphalt (HMA) and to act as a stabilizer to prevent drain down of the asphalt binder. The laboratory tests include indirect tensile strength test, Marshall stability and retained Marshall Stability test (RMS). For rutting test the Roller wheel compactor is used for preparing the asphaltic samples and Wheel tracking device is used to evaluate the rutting of asphaltic slabs. The results showed that the SBS polymer asphalt mixture gave better moisture sensitivity and better fracture resistance according to the study.It is noted that indirect tensile strength ratio (TSR) increases by 93.1 % and the rut depth decreases by 32.5 % when adding 3% SBS polymer to SMA.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 1221
Author(s):  
Xiaorui Zhang ◽  
Juntian Wang ◽  
Xinxing Zhou ◽  
Zhuqiu Zhang ◽  
Xiaobing Chen

Aging has a detrimental impact on the interfacial interaction and bonding between asphalt-binder and aggregates, which influence ultimately on the performance of asphalt mixtures and pavements. Evaluation of the mechanical properties of the interface between the asphalt-binder and aggregates has thus become a hot research topic, particularly as a function of aging. In this study, the interfacial tensile strength, compressive strength, elastic modulus, and interfacial recovery energy were measured and quantified using molecular dynamic simulation. Whilst the free volume of the asphalt mixtures exhibited sensitivity to aging, the interfacial tensile strength decreased with an increase in the degree of aging. In general, the mechanical properties of the asphalt-binder-aggregate interface were found to be significantly dependent on the aggregate type. Furthermore, the study results indicated that interfacial recovery energy is a key characteristic property for characterizing the interfacial adhesive force within asphalt mixtures. Overall, the study of mechanical properties of the asphalt-binder and aggregate interface, as presented in this paper, contributes to quantifying the adhesive properties and improving the performance of asphalt mixtures.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (23) ◽  
pp. 7426
Author(s):  
Zhaohui Pei ◽  
Keke Lou ◽  
Heyu Kong ◽  
Bangwei Wu ◽  
Xing Wu ◽  
...  

It is now more popular to use basalt fibers in the engineering programs to reinforce the crack resistance of asphalt mixtures. However, research concerning the impact of the basalt fiber diameter on the macro performance of AC-13 mixtures is very limited. Therefore, in this paper, basalt fibers with three diameters, including 7, 13 and 25 μm, were selected to research the influences of fiber diameter on the crack resistance of asphalt mixtures. Different types of crack tests, such as the low temperature trabecular bending test (LTTB), the indirect tensile asphalt cracking test (IDEAL-CT), and the semi-circular bend test (SCB), were conducted to reveal the crack resistance of AC-13 mixtures. The entire cracking process was recorded through the digital image correlation (DIC) technique, and the displacement cloud pictures, strain, average crack propagation rate (V) and fracture toughness (FT) indicators were used to evaluate the crack inhibition action of the fiber diameter on the mixture. The results showed that the incorporation of basalt fiber substantially improved the crack resistance, slowed down the increase of the displacement, and delayed the fracture time. Basalt fiber with a diameter of 7 μm presented the best enhancement capability on the crack resistance of the AC-13 mixture. The flexibility index (FI) of the SCB test showed a good correlation with V and FT values of DIC test results, respectively. These findings provide theoretical advice for the popularization and engineering application of basalt fibers in asphalt pavement.


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