scholarly journals Damage Fracture Characterization of Asphalt Mixtures Considering Freeze–Thaw Cycling and Aging Effects Based on Acoustic Emission Monitoring

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (20) ◽  
pp. 5930
Author(s):  
Liuxu Fu ◽  
Huanyun Zhou ◽  
Jing Yuan ◽  
Weiliang An ◽  
Xianhua Chen

Freeze–thaw (F–T) cycling and aging effects are the main factors contributing to the deterioration of asphalt mixtures. The acoustic emission (AE) technique enables real-time detection regarding the evolution of internal damage in asphalt mixtures during the loading process. This study set out to investigate the effects of F–T cycling and aging on the damage characteristics of asphalt mixture under splitting loads. Firstly, the Marshall specimens were prepared and then exposed to various numbers of F–T cycles (one, three, five, and seven) and different durations of aging (short-term aging and long-term aging for 24, 72, 120 and 168 h), after which the specimens were loaded by means of indirect tensile (IDT) testing, and corresponding parameters were synchronously collected by the AE acquisition system during the fracture process. Finally, the energy, cumulative energy and peak frequency were selected to investigate the damage mechanisms of asphalt mixtures. The findings demonstrate that the AE parameters provided effective identification of the deterioration for all specimens in real-time, and that the F–T cycling and aging effects altered the damage characteristics of asphalt mixtures, causing early damage, exacerbating the formation of micro-cracks in the early stage, accelerating the expansion of macro-cracks and advancing the debonding between the asphalt and aggregates. The findings of this study provide further insight into the mechanism of F–T cycling and aging effects on the deterioration of asphalt mixture.

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wensheng Wang ◽  
Yongchun Cheng ◽  
Guirong Ma ◽  
Guojin Tan ◽  
Xun Sun ◽  
...  

The main distresses of asphalt pavements in seasonally frozen regions are due to the effects of water action, freeze-thaw cycles, and so on. Basalt fiber, as an eco-friendly mineral fiber with high mechanical performance, has been adopted to reinforce asphalt mixture in order to improve its mechanical properties. This study investigated the freeze-thaw damage characteristics of asphalt mixtures reinforced with eco-friendly basalt fiber by volume and mechanical properties—air voids, splitting tensile strength, and indirect tensile stiffness modulus tests. Test results indicated that asphalt mixtures reinforced with eco-friendly basalt fiber had better mechanical properties (i.e., splitting tensile strength and indirect tensile stiffness modulus) before and after freeze-thaw cycles. Furthermore, this study developed logistic damage models of asphalt mixtures in terms of the damage characteristics, and found that adding basalt fiber could significantly reduce the damage degree by about 25%, and slow down the damage grow rate by about 45% compared with control group without basalt fiber. Moreover, multi-variable grey models (GM) (1,N) were established for modelling the damage characteristics of asphalt mixtures under the effect of freeze-thaw cycles. GM (1,3) was proven as an effective prediction model to perform better in prediction accuracy compared to GM (1,2).


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 3301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunyu Liang ◽  
Junchen Ma ◽  
Peilei Zhou ◽  
Guirong Ma ◽  
Xin Xu

This paper focuses on the fracture damage characteristics of styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS)-modified SMA-13 specimens with basalt fiber under various freeze-thaw (F-T) cycles. SBS-modified stone mastic asphalt (SMA)-13 specimens with basalt fiber were prepared, first, using the superpave gyratory compaction method. Then, asphalt mixture specimens processed with 0–21 F-T cycles were adopted for the high-temperature compression and low-temperature splitting tests. Meanwhile, the acoustic emission (AE) test was conducted to evaluate the fracture characteristics of the asphalt mixture during loading. The results showed that the AE parameters could effectively reflect the damage fracture characteristics of the asphalt mixture specimen during the high-temperature compression and low-temperature splitting processes. The fracture damage of the asphalt mixture specimens during compression or splitting are classified into three stages based on the variation of the AE signals, i.e., when the load level is below 0.1~0.2 during the first stage and the load level is 0.1–0.9 or 0.2–0.8 during the second stage. The AE signal amplitude and count show clear correlations with the compression and splitting load levels. Meanwhile, the AE signal clarifies the formation, development, and failure of internal damage for the asphalt mixture specimens during the compression and splitting processes. The intensity (value and density) of the AE signal parameters of asphalt mixture decreases with increasing F-T cycles. It is evident that the F-T cycle has a significant adverse effect on the mechanical strength of asphalt mixture, which makes asphalt mixtures more likely to cause early failure.


Materials ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 2488 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yongchun Cheng ◽  
Wensheng Wang ◽  
Yafeng Gong ◽  
Shurong Wang ◽  
Shuting Yang ◽  
...  

The main distresses of asphalt pavements in seasonal frozen regions are due to the effects of water action, freeze-thaw cycles, traffic, and so on. Fibers are usually used to reinforce asphalt mixtures, in order to improve its mechanical properties. Basalt fiber is an eco-friendly mineral fiber with high mechanical performance, low water absorption, and an appropriate temperature range. This paper aims to address the freeze-thaw damage characteristics of asphalt mixtures (AC-13) reinforced with eco-friendly basalt fiber, with a length of 6 mm. Based on the Marshall design method and ordinary pavement performances, including rutting resistance, anti-cracking, and moisture stability, the optimum asphalt and basalt fiber contents were determined. Test results indicated that the pavement performances of asphalt mixture exhibited a trend of first increasing and then deceasing, with the basalt fiber content. Subsequently, asphalt mixtures with a basalt fiber content of 0.4% were prepared for further freeze-thaw tests. Through the comparative analysis of air voids, splitting strength, and indirect tensile stiffness modulus, it could be found that the performances of asphalt mixtures gradually declined with freeze-thaw cycles and basalt fiber had positive effects on the freeze-thaw resistance. This paper can be used as a reference for further investigation on the freeze-thaw damage model of asphalt mixtures with basalt fiber.


Author(s):  
Moses Akentuna ◽  
Louay N. Mohammad ◽  
Sanchit Sachdeva ◽  
Samuel B. Cooper ◽  
Samuel B. Cooper

Moisture damage of asphalt mixtures is a major distress affecting the durability of asphalt pavements. The loaded wheel tracking (LWT) test is gaining popularity in determining moisture damage because of its ability to relate laboratory performance to field performance. However, the accuracy of LWT’s “pass/fail” criteria for screening mixtures is limited. The objective of this study was to evaluate the capability of the LWT test to identify moisture susceptibility of asphalt mixtures with different moisture conditioning protocols. Seven 12.5 mm asphalt mixtures with two asphalt binder types (unmodified PG 67-22 and modified PG 70-22), and three aggregate types (limestone, crushed gravel, and a semi-crushed gravel) were utilized. Asphalt binder and mixture samples were subjected to five conditioning levels, namely, a control; single freeze–thaw-; triple freeze–thaw-; MiST 3500 cycles; and MiST 7000 cycles. Frequency sweep at multiple temperatures and frequencies, and multiple stress creep recovery tests were performed to evaluate asphalt binders. LWT test was used to evaluate the asphalt mixture samples. Freeze–thaw and MiST conditioning resulted in an increase in stiffness in the asphalt binders as compared with the control. Further, freeze–thaw and MiST conditioning resulted in an increase in rut depth compared with the control asphalt mixture. The conditioning protocols evaluated were effective in exposing moisture-sensitive mixtures, which initially showed compliance with Louisiana asphalt mixture design specifications.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (4.20) ◽  
pp. 541
Author(s):  
Mojtaba Kodadadi ◽  
Ali Khodaii

In this study, the behavior of asphalt mixture was studied using non-destructive Acoustic Emission (AE) technique at low temperatures. For this purpose, two types of bitumen 60/70 and 85/100 with two types of limestone and Silica aggregate were used to construct asphalt mixtures. Polyphosphoric acid (PPA) was used to modify the bitumen in the dosage of 0, 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5% of bitumen weight. Semicircular bending test (SCB) under a steady increasing strain at a rate of 3mm/min was conducted at 0, -10-, and -20 °C. Two AE channels were used to record the Sinusoid output around the crack of SCB sample during crack growth. Analysis of the results obtained from this study using SPSS software indicates that there is a significant relationship between the failure energy of SCB samples and the number of impacts received from AEs. Furthermore, AE energy has a good agreement with the sample failure energy. According to the failure criterion, asphalt mixtures containing 85/100 bitumen modified by 1.0% of PPA and limestone aggregate exhibit more crack resistance among other compositions.  


Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 1804
Author(s):  
Wensheng Wang ◽  
Guojin Tan ◽  
Chunyu Liang ◽  
Yong Wang ◽  
Yongchun Cheng

This study aims to study the viscoelastic properties of asphalt mixtures incorporating styrene–butadiene–styrene (SBS) polymer and basalt fiber under freeze–thaw (F-T) cycles by using the static creep test. Asphalt mixture samples incorporating styrene–butadiene–styrene (SBS) polymer and basalt fiber were manufactured following the Superpave gyratory compaction (SGC) method and coring as well as sawing. After 0 to 21 F-T cycles processing, a uniaxial compression static creep test for the asphalt mixture specimens was performed to evaluate the influence of F-T cycles. The results indicated that the F-T cycles caused a larger creep deformation in the asphalt mixtures, which led to a decrease in the rut resistance of the asphalt mixtures incorporating SBS polymer and basalt fiber. Besides, the resistance to deformation decreased significantly in the early stage of F-T cycles. On the other hand, the viscoelastic parameters were analyzed to discuss the variation of viscoelastic characteristics. The relaxation time increased with F-T cycles, which will not be conducive to internal stress dissipation. Compared with lignin fiber, basalt fiber can improve the resistance to high-temperature deformation and the low-temperature crack resistance of asphalt mixtures under F-T cycles.


Author(s):  
Jamilla Emi Sudo Lutif Teixeira ◽  
Aecio Guilherme Schumacher ◽  
Patrício Moreira Pires ◽  
Verônica Teixeira Franco Castelo Branco ◽  
Henrique Barbosa Martins

The influence of steel slag expansion level on the early stage performance of hot mix asphalt (HMA) is evaluated. Initially, samples of Linz-Donawitz type steel slag with different levels of expansion (6.71%, 3.16%, 1.33%) were submitted to physical, mechanical, and morphological characterization to assess the effects of expansion on individual material properties. Steel slag was then used as aggregate in HMA to verify the effects of its expansion characteristics on the volumetric and mechanical performance of the asphalt mixture. Four different asphalt mixtures were designed based on Marshall mix design, using asphalt cement (pen. grade 50/70), natural aggregate (granite), and steel slag (in three different levels of expansion). The mechanical characteristics of the asphalt mixture were evaluated based on results from Marshall stability, indirect tensile strength, and resilient modulus testing. A modified Pennsylvania testing method (PTM) was also performed on the studied asphalt mixtures to verify the potential of asphalt binder film to minimize the expansive reactions of steel slag. It was observed that the level of steel slag expansion changes some of the material’s individual properties, which can affect the volumetric parameters of the mix design. The use of steel slag as aggregate in HMA also improves the mechanical properties of non-aged asphalt mixtures. Moreover, the expansive characteristics of this material could be minimized when combined with other asphalt mixture components.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 2966 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chao Chai ◽  
Yong-Chun Cheng ◽  
Yuwei Zhang ◽  
Yu Chen ◽  
Bing Zhu

This paper focuses on the freeze-thaw cycles (F-T cycles) resistance of porous asphalt mixture (PAM) with different air voids in order to explore the gradation of the PAM suitable for seasonal freezing regions. Three sets of PAMs with 18%, 21%, and 25% air voids were designed. After 0–20 F-T cycles, the effects of F-T cycles on the performance degradation of three groups of PAMs were studied by performing a low-temperature splitting test with acoustic emission technology, a normal temperature splitting test, a compression test, a Cantabro particle loss test, and a dynamic creep test. The results show that the damage process of PAM caused by multiple F-T cycles could be more clearly defined by acoustic emission parameters. In addition, the larger the air void, the smaller its indirect tensile strength and compression strength, and the worse its particle loss resistance and high-temperature stability, which made the adverse effect of F-T cycles more significant. Therefore, the air void of PAM used in seasonal freezing regions is suggested to be less than 21%.


2011 ◽  
Vol 243-249 ◽  
pp. 710-716 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Chun Cai ◽  
Yuan Xun Zheng

To study the influence of fiber on the water stability of asphalt mixtures, the optimum dosage of asphalt and fibers are studied by the method of Marshall test and rut test. The results demonstrate that the optimum dosage of asphalt and fibers are 4.63% and 0.30%, respectively. Then the improved effects of basalt fiber on water stability of asphalt mixtures are evaluated through immersed Marshall test and freeze-thaw splitting test according to related specifications. The results show that the freeze-thaw splitting strength and splitting strength without freeze-thaw of fiber-reinforced asphalt mixture are improved to some extent compared with control mixture. Splitting strength without freeze-thaw of basalt, polyester and xylogen fiber-reinforced asphalt mixture is increased by 36.4%, 15.4% and 6.2%, and freeze-thaw splitting strength is increased by 55.2%, 28.7% and 14.5%. It can be concluded that fiber can remarkably improved the water stability of asphalt mixtures, besides; the improvement effects of basalt fiber are superior to polyester fiber and xylogen fiber.


2013 ◽  
Vol 361-363 ◽  
pp. 1563-1566
Author(s):  
Chuan Yi Zhuang ◽  
Ya Li Ye ◽  
Yan Zhou

Types of asphalt mixture with different gradations and air voids were designed. Tests on their indirect tensile strength, compressive strength and resilient modulus of compression under single axle compressing were taken to study the effects of two forms of water immersion (hot water immersion and freeze-thaw split test) on asphalt mixtures mechanical performance and high temperature stability. Test results point out that water immersion decreased asphalt mixtures performance seriously and the effect of freeze-thaw split tests on asphalt mixtures performance is far stronger than that of hot water immersion. Asphalt mixtures performance is related with its gradation and percent air voids. Asphalt mixtures with different gradation are different in their percent air voids, suitable gradation can form framework and filling action obviously, so to yield mixture with suitable percent air voids and good water stability.


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