Modelling of the variation of granular base materials resilient modulus with material characteristics and humidity conditions

This study aims to quantify the susceptibility of granular materials used in pavements to changes in moisture content and propose a correlation model to incorporate this susceptibility into seasonal analyses.The fines content and the percentage of fractured coarse aggregates were identified as direct indicators of the resilient modulus susceptibility to changes in water content.The results showed that the percentage of fractured coarse aggregates particles(FR)has a more significant impact on the resilient modulus(Er)of crushed granular materials used in pavement construction than the combined indicator of the fines content and sample volumetrics(nf).Crushed granular materials with a higher percentage of fractured coarse aggregates are relatively insensitive to changes in the degree of saturation,but become more sensitive as the fine fraction porosity decreases.An adjusted model was proposed based on the existing formulation,but considers a complex parameter to describe and adjust the sensitivity of base granular materials to variations in moisture content with respect to fabrication charac-teristics,fines content and volumetric properties.The model shows that the variation of Er values is below10%for fully crushed granular materials.However,it reaches approximately±12%for materials with 75%of crushed coarse aggregates andþ40%and-25%for materials with FR=50%.This model could help select good ag-gregates characteristics and adjust grain-size distribution for environments where significant moisture content variations can occur in the pavement system,such as in the Province of Quebec(Canada).As it is based on pa-rameters that can be easily determined or estimated,it also represents a valuable tool for detailed design and analysis that can consider material characteristics.

GMA material design and construction quality control for asphalt pavement of steel box girder: Case study of the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge

To improve the quality of the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge paving project,a new paving layer material,Guss-mastic asphalt(GMA),was proposed in this paper by combining the advantages of two types of cast asphalt mixtures:mastic asphalt(MA)and Guss asphalt(GA).Based on the characteristics of GMA,to simulate its actual production process,this study developed a small-simulated cooker mixing equipment.Moreover,the flow degree,60C dynamic stability,and impact toughness were proposed to be used to evaluate the construction and ease,high temperature stability,and fatigue resistance of GMA cast asphalt mixtures,respectively.Moreover,the quality control standards for GMA paving materials by indoor tests,field trial mix GMA material performance tests,and accelerated loading tests were finalized.The study showed that the developed simulated cooker yielded consistent mixing results in the same working environment as the engineering cooker device.Increasing the coarse aggregate incorporation rate,coarsening the mastic epure(ME)gradation composition,and using a smaller oil to stone ratio can reduce the flowability of the GMA materials to varying degrees.The four-point bending fatigue life and impact toughness of the different GMA materials are correlated well.A mobility of<20 s,60C dynamic stability of 400–800 times/mm,15C impact toughness of400 N⋅mm,and cooker car mixing temperature control standard of 210C–230C form an appropriate control index system for the design and production of GMA cast asphalt mixtures.Simultaneously,accelerated loading tests verified the accuracy and reliability of the quality control index system that has been used in the GMA paving project of the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge deck and has achieved good application results.

A systematic review of rigid-flexible composite pavement

Rigid-flexible composite pavement has gained significant popularity in recent decades.This paper provides a comprehensive review of the research progress concerning rigid-flexible composite pavement,aiming to promote its application and address key issues while identifying future directions.The design theory and methodology of rigid-flexible composite pavement are discussed,followed by a description of its structural and mechanical behavior characteristics.The load stress,temperature stress,and their interactive effects between the asphalt layer and the rigid base were analyzed.It is clarified that the asphalt layer serves a dual role as both a“functional layer”and a“structural layer”.Typical distresses of rigid-flexible composite pavement,which primarily occur in the asphalt layer,were discussed.These distresses include reflective cracking,top-down cracking,rutting,and compressive-shear failure.Generally,the integrity of the rigid base and the interlaminar bonding conditions significantly impact the performance and distress of the asphalt layer.The technology for enhancing the performance of rigid-flexible composite pavement is summarized in three aspects:asphalt layer properties,rigid base integrity,and interlaminar bonding condition.The study concludes that developing high-performance pavement materials based on their structural behaviors is an effective approach to improve the performance and durability of rigid-flexible composite pavement.The integrated design of structure and materials represents the future direction of road design.

The Effects of Road and Other Pavement Materials on Urban Heat Island (A Case Study of Port Harcourt City)

Urban centers are consistently exhibiting higher temperature than its surrounding suburban rural areas. The large amount of heat generated from urban structures such as road materials and pavement materials and other anthropogenic heat sources are the main causes of Urban Heat Island (UHI). The sources of data for this research included primary and secondary sources. Other techniques employed for data collection were direct measurement and readings on the road and pavement materials. The research found out that, there was consistency in rising temperature at different time of the day by the different road and pavement materials. Asphalt has the greatest effect of increasing the urban temperature four degrees higher, followed by concrete, three degree rise in temperature, and earth (ordinary ground) by two degree rise and vegetation (grass) by one degree rise in temperature. The overall effect on the residents of the study area ranges from increase in hotness of the day;44.6% respondents agrees;while 34.3% says it affects the ambient air quality of the area, and other effects such as increased ground level ozone, suffocation, sleeplessness and restlessness as a result of excessive high temperature especially at night are identified in this paper. The research recommends the review or redesigning of the entire Port Harcourt city Master Plan to make provision for creation of more green areas rather than pavements and concreted areas to reduce the effects of (UHI) and ultimately improve the comfort and living conditions of the people in a the garden city Port Harcourt.

New shakedown criterion and permanent deformation properties of unbound granular materials

Unbound granular material specifications for road pavements in Australia are primarily based on physical material specification rather than mechanical characterisation. This simplified approach does not reflect the actual material performance under repeated dynamic traffic loads. There is a little information available on the influence of the local crushed rock properties and compacted layer properties on permanent deformation (PD). This study aims to characterise the local unbound granular materials in Victoria according to their PD behaviour under repeated loads and to develop a suitable shakedown criterion that could describe the PD of the tested materials to simplify the flexible pavement design. Repeated-load triaxial tests were conducted over several samples with a range of moisture contents, gradations, densities, and stress conditions. The laboratory test results showed that PD behaviour was influenced by several factors. In addition, the tested subbase-specified unbound granular materials reflect high PD resistance that is almost equivalent to basequality unbound granular materials. This may indicate that current requirements for the subbase-quality unbound granular materials are over-prescribe. Moreover, as the existing shakedown criterion was not applicable for the multi-stage repeated-load triaxial test and the local tested materials, a new shakedown criterion and new boundaries are proposed based on the PD behaviour. In the proposed criterion, the shakedown ranges are identified based on the curve angle of the PD vs. logarithm of the number of loading cycles, and this new criterion was validated using several materials from existing literature. The local tested base and subbase materials can be assigned as Range A when PD\1%, Range B when 1%\PD\3%, and Range C when PD[3%. The proposed criterion could provide a useful and quick approach to assess the PD of the unbound granular materials with both single and multistages of stresses.

Effect of vertical stress rest period on deformation behaviour of unbound granular materials:Experimental and numerical investigations

Repeated load triaxial test is used to assess the deformation behaviour of unbound granular materials(UGMs) in flexible road pavements. Repeated load pulse characteristics(i.e. shape, loading period and rest period) are the stress configurations used in the experimental set-up to simulate the passing axle loads. Some researchers and standard testing protocols suggest a rest period of varying durations after a loading phase. A thorough review of existing literature and practises has revealed that there is no agreement about the effect of the rest period of vertical stress pulse on the deformation behaviour of the UGMs. Therefore,the main objective of this study is to investigate the effect of repeated stress rest period on the deformation behaviour of UGMs experimentally. Experiments are conducted, both with and without rest period, using basalt and granite crushed rocks from Victoria, Australia. Furthermore, in order to gain insight into the effect of the rest period, finite element modelling is also developed. Both the experimental and modelling results show that the rest period has a noticeable effect on both resilient and permanent deformation behaviours of UGMs. It is, therefore, recommended to take extra precautions while adopting a particular standard testing protocol and to supplement the results by additional tests with different loading configurations.

Evaluation and Selection of Sealants and Fillers Using Principal Component Analysis for Cracks in Asphalt Concrete Pavements

The objective of this paper was to develop a comprehensive evaluation method and index to evaluate the performance of sealants and fillers for cracks in asphalt concrete pavements using the method of principal component analysis. The performance experiments including cone penetration, softening point, flow, resilience and tension at low temperature respectively were conducted by reference of ASTM D5329 for eight sealants and fillers often used in China. There by a principal component model was developed and weight of every index was calculated. The experimental results show that there are significantly different performances for sealants and fillers often used in China. Principal component analysis is an objective method that evaluates and selects the performance of sealants and fillers for cracks in asphalt concrete pavements.

Numerical implementation of suction-dependent resilient modulus constitutive model for subgrade granular material

In order to investigate the suction-dependent properties of subgrade granular material and its effect on pavement responses,coupled hydro-mechanical simulations were conducted in Abaqus.A suction-dependent resilient modulus model was integrated into the commercial finite element(FE)code Abaqus by developing a user-defined material(UMAT)subroutine.The developed model was validated by triaxial test results under different suction conditions and good agreement was achieved.A three-dimensional(3D)FE pavement model was established and the suction-dependent properties of subgrade granular material was characterized by the developed constitutive model.Hydro-mechanical pavement responses subjected to three moisture states and the falling weight deflectometer(FWD)load were calculated.Simulation results reveal that the resilient modulus of subgrade granular material is sensitive to suction and stress states;high groundwater table decreases the overall resilient moduli of subgrade structure due to suction reduction,leading to the increase of the maximum surface deflection,the tensile strain at bottom of the surface layer,compressive strain on top of subgrade,and consequently,deterioration in pavement performance.

Control of Pavement-Surface Temperature-Rise Using Recycled Materials

High temperatures of the asphalt concrete pavements in summer contribute to the heat island phenomenon in the urban areas. The effective cool-pavement technologies are sought to mitigate the pavement environment. In this paper, developed heat-reflective pavements are constructed from open-graded asphalt concrete, in which voids in the upper part of the pavement are filled with a cement mortar, containing recycled materials as a fine aggregate. The recycled materials used in this study are： crushed oyster shells, roof tile debris, pottery debris, glass cullet, crushed escallops and coral sand. The temperature reduction of the pavement surfaces at an open site is measured in the summer. The results show that the maximum surface temperature of the pavements falls by approximately 8-10 ℃ compared to the asphalt concrete pavement. Furthermore, it is found that the temperature reduction is mainly due to the increased solar radiation reflectance of the pavement surface.

A systematic review of steel bridge deck pavement in China

As an important part of steel bridge deck,the engineering quality and service condition of steel bridge deck pavement(SBDP)directly affects the capacity and operational efficiency of the bridge.This paper reviews the history of the development of SBDP in China over the past 20 years from the exploration stage,rapid development stage and prosperity stage.The development and application of SBDP at different stages are discussed in terms of materials,structure,design,performance evaluation,maintenance and rehabilitation,respectively.The advantages and disadvantages of different pavement materials and structures,and the application of different research methods are summarized.The review shows that the improvement of pavement materials and structures and the development of new materials should be further studied on the multi-scale to enhance the durability of pavement materials,so as to extend the service life of pavements.The design method of SBDP related to the synergistic effect of vehicle,pavement and bridge should be established,and the design concept and method standard of rigid base pavement structure should be improved and formulate a complete design standard.In addition,multi-disease intelligent identification system and equipment should be studied to track the entire course of disease development in real time.And it is necessary to develop appropriate algorithms to select and classify the complex data of disease and maintenance history.

Performance evaluation of new epoxy resin-based composite phase change materials and their asphalt mixture

In recent years,the temperature-adjusted asphalt pavement has been an extensive concern by scholars in various countries,and this pavement can reduce temperaturerelated diseases.In this study,the shaped composite phase change materials(CPCMs)were successfully synthesized by two processes,which are vacuum impregnation and epoxy curing.Firstly,the applicability of CPCMs in asphalt mixtures was evaluated by microscopic characterization,chemical compatibility,thermal properties,durability,and leakage stability.Secondly,CPCMs were applied to the asphalt mixture to evaluate its temperatureadjusted characteristics and pavement performance.Finally,the performance of the temperature-adjusted asphalt mixture was analyzed by integrating all factors.The research shows that the prepared CPCMs have excellent thermal properties and durability,the phase transition temperature is 48.93℃,and the phase transition enthalpy is 106.5 J/g,which fully meets the requirements for use in pavement.The temperature-adjusted asphalt mixture could alleviate the occurrence of extreme temperature,which was 4.9℃lower than the conventional mixture.The pavement performance of the temperatureadjusted asphalt mixture can meet the specified standards for humid areas.Considering the factors,the recommended amount of CPCMs is 1.5%.The research results provide a basis for the promotion of temperature-adjusted asphalt pavement and effectively support the development of pavement engineering technology.

Neural network-based model for prediction of permanent deformation of unbound granular materials

Several available mechanistic-empirical pavement design methods fail to include predictive model for permanent deformation(PD)of unbound granular materials(UGMs),which make these methods more conservative.In addition,there are limited regression models capable of predicting the PD under multistress levels,and these models have regression limitations and generally fail to cover the complexity of UGM behaviour.Recent researches are focused on using new methods of computational intelligence systems to address the problems,such as artificial neural network(ANN).In this context,we aim to develop an artificial neural model to predict the PD of UGMs exposed to repeated loads.Extensive repeated load triaxial tests(RLTTs)were conducted on base and subbase materials locally available in Victoria,Australia to investigate the PD properties of the tested materials and to prepare the database of the neural networks.Specimens were prepared over different moisture contents and gradations to cover a wide testing matrix.The ANN model consists of one input layer with five neurons,one hidden layer with twelve neurons,and one output layer with one neuron.The five inputs were the number of load cycles,deviatoric stress,moisture content,coefficient of uniformity,and coefficient of curvature.The sensitivity analysis showed that the most important indicator that impacts PD is the number of load cycles with influence factor of 41%.It shows that the ANN method is rapid and efficient to predict the PD,which could be implemented in the Austroads pavement design method.

Thermal stress and fracture temperature prediction for flexible pavement

Analytical solutions of thermal stresses in multilayered elastic system whose materials characteristics are dependent on temperature are derived by a transfer matrix and integral transformation method.The resulting formulation is used to calculate thermal stresses in the low temperature cracking problem of asphalt pavement.Numerical simulations and analyses are performed using different structural combinations and material characteristics of base course.And fracture temperatures are predicted for a given flexible pavement constructed with three types of asphalt mixtures based on the calculated results and experimental data.This approach serves as a better model for real pavement structure as it takes into account the relationships between the material characteristics and temperature in the pavement system.

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%.

Development of a New Dynamic Lightweight Penetrometer for the Determination of Mechanical Properties of Fine-Grained Soils

Dynamic cone penetrometer is mainly used as an in situ device and laboratory application, in a mould, has rarely been reported due to the confining effect. In this study, a dynamic lightweight cone penetrometer that can be used in a CBR （California bearing ratio） mould in the laboratory as well as in the field, with similar results, was developed. The results show that the influence of the mould confinement can be eliminated when the hammer mass is 2.25 kg. A strong correlation was found between CBR values and the new dynamic lightweight penetrometer index, for six fine-grained soil samples, with different moisture contents, used in this study.

Paving Materials and Engineering Applications of Permeable Pavement

The stability of roads in cities directly affects the safety of traffic and transportation.In the process of pavement laying,relevant personnel should use permeable paving materials in the process of construction.Based on the analysis of road drainage requirements,traditional paving materials have relatively poor water permeability,which leads to ponding problems during road use[1].Within this frame of reference,beginning with the characteristics of permeable paving materials,this paper makes an in-depth exploration on practical application measures.

Finite element modeling of pavement responses based on stress-dependent properties of asphalt layer

In order to investigate the stress-dependent properties of hot-mix asphalt （HMA）,a dynamic modulus test was conducted on a group of AC-20 specimens at various stress states and loading frequencies,respectively.A user-defined material （UMAT ）subroutine incorporating stress-dependent constitutive model was developed and finite element （FE）simulation was utilized to confirm the validity of the UMAT.A three-dimensional （3D ）FE model for typical pavement structure was established,considering the HMA layer as a stress-dependent material and other layers as linear elastic materials.Periodic load was applied to the pavement model and the pavement responses were calculated,including dynamic modulus distributions,surface deflection,shear stress and tensile strain in the HMA layer,etc.Both test results and FE model predictions indicate that the dynamic modulus of asphalt concrete is sensitive to stress state and loading frequency.Using the nonlinear stress-dependent model results in greater predicted pavement responses compared with the linear elastic model.It is also found that the effects of stress-dependency on pavement responses become more significant as loading frequency decreases.

Microstructure Morphologies of Asphalt Binders using Atomic Force Microscopy

We investigated microstructure morphologies of three asphalts（SK, Karamay, and Esso） used in China using atomic force microscopy（AFM）. The topography and phase contrast images were obtained. Topographic profile and three dimensional images were described. Roughnesses of microstructure were calculated. And the chemical compositions of asphalt were tested to explain the microstructural mechanism of the asphalt. The results show that the topography and phase image in atomic force microscopy are appropriate to evaluate the microstructure of the asphalt binder. There are significant differences in microstructural morphologies including bee-like structure, topographic profile, 3D image, and roughness for three asphalts in this study. There are three different phases in microstructure of asphalt binder. The oil source and chemical composition of asphalt, especially asphaltenes content have a great influence on the microstructure.

Usability of Waste Steel Grits in Concrete Pavement

The usability of waste steel grits and limestone sand in the construction of concrete pavement was investigated.Four different types of pavement concretes were produced,including coarse limestone concrete not containing waste steel grit,coarse limestone concrete containing waste steel grit,limestone sand concrete not containing waste steel grit,and limestone sand concrete containing waste steel grit.In this study,water/binder ratio in concrete production was taken as 0.44.In the production of limestone sand concrete containing waste steel grit,limestone sand with a grain diameter of 0.1-1.0 mm was used as aggregate.Waste steel grits with a grain diameter of 0.2-0.7 mm were added to the concrete mixture.Standard water curing and combined curing were applied to concrete samples.After standard water curing and combined curing,compression and bending tests of the same types of cube and beam concrete samples were carried out.As a result of the study,the maximum compressive and bending strengths were found to be 50.21 MPa and 5.07 MPa for limestone sand concrete containing waste steel grit.The study results show that waste steel grits increase the compressive and bending strength of concrete pavement.

Causes of Cracks on Recently Constructed Flexible Pavements: A Case Study on Kabati to Mareira Road in Kenya

Increased surface roughness of road due to emergence of cracks makes travelling on the road uncomfortable to road users;reduces road safety;increases wear and tear of vehicles, which push up the operating costs of vehicles, and increases travel time leading to the loss of useful man-hours to the local economy. The main objective of the study was to establish the causes of cracks on recently constructed flexible pavements with focus to Kabati to Mareira Road. To realize the study objectives, a case study was done on Kabati to Mareira road. Primary data comprising traffic count surveys;field and laboratory data for coring for compressive strength tests, tests on bearing capacity of pavement structure, and pavement deflection measurements analysis tests on improved pavement materials were undertaken on the road under study. The Secondary data on traffic axle load survey along the road under study were obtained from Kenya Rural Roads Authority, Ministry of Roads. The traffic loading was found to be 1.1 million equivalent standard axles over a design period of 15 years at a growth rate of 5%, which is on the lower limit of T4 assumed during the design stage. The material characteristics recommended in design are sufficient for the designed traffic loading. The range of UCS values was 1.12 to 5.83 MPa for soaked cores and 4.76 to 6.94 MPa for un-soaked cores. The DCP results showed that subgrade has a mean CBR of 15% and a median of 14% (subgrade class S4);the sub-base has a mean CBR of 53%, a range of 16% to 93% and thickness of 186 mm and;the base has a mean CBR of 145% a range of 20% to 433% and thickness of 137 mm. The ratio of modulus achieved after construction for base to sub-base is 2.7:1 and 10.7:1 for the sub-base and subgrade. It is concluded that design has no aspect in development and propagation of cracks. Cracks were caused by combination of factors, namely: sub-grade does not provide sufficient support to the pavement due to high base and sub-base strengths;and the variation of strength for pavement layers and the collapse of some cores during soaking process point to cases of inadequate/non-uniform mixing and insufficient curing of the pavement layers. Recommendation is made that the stabilizer content for base and sub-base to be varied in accordance with the properties of natural material being used based on frequency set out in standard specifications;and use of fully flexible pavements where the fill material adopted is alluvial or expansive clays. Emphasis should be placed on adequate pavement support. In improved pavement construction, the stabilizer should be uniformly distributed, thoroughly mixed and pavement layers sufficiently cured.