Road Performance,Thermal Conductivity,and Temperature Distribution of Steel Slag Rubber Asphalt Surface Layer

The use of steel slag,which is a by-product of the steel manufacture,in the construction of asphalt pavement would contribute to waste reduction and environment protection.Using rubber asphalt at the same time can improve the performance of asphalt mixture.This study investigates the influence of steel slag content on the road performance,thermal conductivity and outdoor temperature distribution of steel slag rubber asphalt mixtures(SSRAM),and calculates the cumulative stress in surface layer.At a certain range of concentration,the steel slag additive improved the deformation resistance and low-temperature cracking resistance of the mixtures.The SSRAM with 40%steel slag content has the best deformation resistance while SSRAM with 60%steel slag content performed well in low-temperature cracking resistance.The thermal conductivity of the SSRAM with different steel slag content(0%,20%,40%,60%,80%,and 100%)was 1.994,2.188,2.239,2.255,2.288,and 2.295 W/(m·K),respectively.Measurements of the outdoor temperature distribution further confirmed that steel slag increased the thermal conductivity of the mixtures,thereby increasing the cumulative temperature difference between the top and bottom layers.The temperature stress and temperature-stress ratio of the SSRAM with 40%steel slag were 0.43 MPa and 0.24,while the SSRAM with 100%steel slag were 0.58 MPa and 0.36.The stress and stress ratio were much higher in the SSRAM with 100%steel slag than in the specimen with 40%steel slag.Accordingly,the maximum accumulated temperature stress aggrandized and caused early temperature cracks in the surface layer.The optimum content of steel slag was 40%.

High-Temperature Deformation and Low-Temperature Fracture Behavior of Steel Slag Rubber Asphalt Mixture Surface Layer

Steel slag is regarded as one of the most widespread solid by-products of steel smelting with little commercial value.It can play a vital role in the construction industry especially in the field of transportation infrastructure construction.However,there are few evaluation systems established on the high-temperature deformation and low-temperature fracture behavior of steel slag rubber asphalt mixture(SSRAM).This study explores the perfor-mance of SSRAM by uniaxial penetration test,Semi-Circular Bending(SCB)test and evaluates test data through regression analysis.The uniaxial penetration test results shows that the failure deformation of SSRAM increases with the increase of steel slag content.According to the minimum allowable permanent deformation(R TS-min),the deformation of SSRAM should be controlled within 3 mm.Meanwhile,the cracking index of the SSRAM surface layer calculated at low temperature can meet the design requirements.The SCB test results show that the stress peak degradation rate(specimens with 10 mm notch are compared with 0 mm)of SSRAM with 40%steel slag content is 20.04%.That means proper steel slag content makes the stress peak degradation rate of SSRAM reaches the lowest value.The calculation results of fracture energy density(J_(1C))show that the steel slag additive reduced the fracture energy density of SSRAM.However,it is still proved that SSRAM with 40%steel slag has the best low-temperature fracture performance based on critical fracture toughness(K_(1C))and fracture stress peak.Further-more,the crack propagation velocity parametric equation of SSRAM is proposed through fracture mechanics theory and the increase of velocity is exponential.Considering the high-temperature deformation resistance and low-temperature fracture property,the SSRAM surface layer with 40%steel slag content showed a batter application potential.

Discrete Element Simulation of Asphalt Pavement Milling Process to Improve theUtilization of Milled Old Mixture

In order to improve the utilization of milling materials,save stone resources and reduce milling energy consumption,the aged Styrene-butadiene-styrene(SBS)modified asphalt was used as a binder to prepare AC-16 asphalt mixture to simulate old asphalt pavement materials.First,the test and discrete element simulation results of uniaxial compression tests were used to calibrate the parameters of the parallel bonding contact model between asphalt mortar and aggregates.On this basis,a microscopic model of the asphalt mixture was established to simulate the old asphalt pavement.Then,the discrete element software PFC(Particle Flow Code)was used to simulate the milling process of the old asphalt pavement.Analyzed the force of the cutting tool and the utilization rate of milling materials,and the optimal milling speed and milling depth were determined.Finally,the energy consumption in the milling process was measured.It is concluded that in the process of milling the old asphalt pavement,using a cutting angle of 42°,milling speed of 0.5 m/s and milling depth of 20 mm can reduce the wear of the cutting tool.In this case,the direct utilization rate of milling materials is 85.3%,and the rate of energy consumption reduction is 33.53%.After parameter optimization,the utilization rate of milling materials can be increased by 17.4%.