Exploratory study on bitumen content determination for foamed bitumen mixes based on porosity and indirect tensile strength

Optimum bitumen content determination is one of the major aims for foamed bitumen mix design. However, mix design procedures for foamed bitumen mixes are still under development. In this paper a method to determine the optimum bitumen content for given foamed bitumen mix based on primary aggregate structure porosity and indirect tensile strength criterion is proposed. Using packing theory concepts, the aggregate gradation is divided into three aggregate structures which are oversize, primary and secondary struc- tures. Porosity for the primary aggregate structure is determined for given bitumen contents. A maximum value for porosity of 50% for the primary aggregate structure is used to choose initial bitumen content. Furthermore, a minimum indirect tensile strength criteria is suggested to refine this bitumen content. This method enables a bitumen content value to be chosen prior to the start of experimental work, as porosity is expressed in terms of physical parameters such as aggregate and binder specific gravity, and aggregate gradation which are known before the mix design process. The bitumen content is then later refined when the indirect tensile strength is determined in the laboratory. This method would reduce resources such as time and materials that may be required during the mix design procedure.

Effect of natural and synthetic fibers reinforcement on California bearing ratio and tensile strength of clay

Use of environmentally friendly approaches with the purpose of strengthening soil layers along with finding correlations between the mechanical characteristics of fiber-reinforced soils such as indirect tensile strength(ITS)and California bearing ratio(CBR)and as well as the evaluation of shear strength parameters obtained from the triaxial test would be very effective at geotechnical construction sites.This research was aimed at investigating the influence of natural fibers as sustainable ones including basalt(BS)and bagasse(BG)as well as synthetic polyester(PET)fibers on the strength behavior of clayey soil.To this end,the effects of various fiber contents(0.5%,1%and 2%)and lengths(2.5 mm,5 mm and 7.5 mm)were experimentally evaluated.By conducting ITS and CBR tests,it was found that increasing fiber content and length had a significant influence on CBR and ITS values.Moreover,2%of 7.5 mm-long fibers led to the largest values of CBR and ITS.The CBR values of soil reinforced with PET,BS,and BG fibers were determined as 19.17%,15.43%and 13.16%,respectively.The ITS values of specimens reinforced with PET,BS,and BG fibers were reported as 48.57 kPa,60.7 kPa and 47.48 kPa,respectively.The results of the triaxial compression test revealed that with the addition of BS fibers,the internal friction angle increased by about 100%,and with the addition of PET fibers,the cohesion increased by about 70%.Moreover,scanning electron microscope(SEM)analysis was employed to confirm the findings.The relationship between CBR and ITS values,obtained via statistical analysis and used for the optimum design of road pavement layers,demonstrated that these parameters had high correlation coefficients.The outcomes of multiple linear regression and sensitivity analysis also confirmed that the fiber content had a greater effect on CBR and ITS values than fiber length.

Numerical study of fatigue damage of asphalt concrete using cohesive zone model

In order to investigate the fatigue behavior of asphalt concrete, a new numerical approach based on a bi-linear cohesive zone model （CZM） is developed. Integrated with the CZM, a fatigue damage evolution model is established to indicate the gradual degradation of cohesive properties of asphalt concrete under cyclic loading. Then the model is implemented in the finite element software ABAQUS through a user-defined subroutine. Based on the proposed model, an indirect tensile fatigue test is finally simulated. The fatigue lives obtained through numerical analysis show good agreement with laboratory results. Fatigue damage accumulates in a nonlinear manner during the cyclic loading process and damage initiation phase is the major part of fatigue failure. As the stress ratio increases, the time of the steady damage growth stage decreases significantly. It is found that the proposed fatigue damage evolution model can serve as an accurate and efficient tool for the prediction of fatigue damage of asphalt concrete.

Evaluation of fatigue property of asphalt mixtures based on digital image correlation method

In order to evaluate the accumulative of tensile strain in the process of fatigue failure, the digital image correlation（DIC） method was utilized to characterize the tensile strain development of asphalt mixtures in the indirect tensile（IDT）fatigue test. Three typical hot mix asphalt（HMA） mixtures with varying nominal maximum aggregate sizes were tested at four stress levels. During the tests, a digital camera was mounted to capture the displacement/strain fields on the surface of the specimen by recording the real-time change of speckle position. The results indicate that the vertical deformation curve can barely evaluate the fatigue performance accurately due to the non-negligible local deflection near the loading point. However, based on the analysis of strain fields,the optimal fatigue cracking zone is determined as a 40mm×40mm rectangle in the middle of the specimens. Also, a reasonable fatigue model based on the tensile strain curves calculated by DIC is proposed to predict the fatigue lives of asphalt mixtures.

Effects of 3D deformation and nonlinear stress–strain relationship on the Brazilian test for a transversely isotropic rock

To improve the accuracy of indirect tensile strength for a transversely isotropic rock in the Brazilian test, this study considered the three-dimensional (3D) deformation and the nonlinear stress–strain relationship. A parametric study of a numerical Brazilian test was performed for a general range of elastic constants, revealing that the 3D modeling evaluated the indirect tensile strength up to 40% higher than the plane stress modeling. For the actual Asan gneiss, the 3D model evaluated the indirect tensile strength up to 10% higher and slightly enhanced the accuracy of deformation estimation compared with the plane stress model. The nonlinearity in stress–strain curve of Asan gneiss under uniaxial compression was then considered, such that the evaluated indirect tensile strength was affected by up to 10% and its anisotropy agreed well with the physical intuition. The estimation of deformation was significantly enhanced. The further validation on the nonlinear model is expected as future research.

Calculation of Measurement Uncertainty for Stiffness Modulus of Asphalt Mixture

Asphalt mixture is a highly heterogeneous material, which is one of the reasons for high measurements uncertainty when subjected to tests. The results of such tests are often unreliable, which may lead to making bad professional judgments. They can be avoided by carrying out reliable analyses of measurement uncertainty adequate for the research methods used and conducted before the actual research is done. This paper presents the calculation of measurements uncertainty using as an example--the determination of the stiffness modulus of the asphalt mixture, which, in turn, was accomplished using the indirect tension method. The paper also shows the employment of the basic methods of statistical analysis, such as testing two mean values and conformity tests. Essential concepts in measurements uncertainty have been compiled and the determination of the stiffness module parameters are discussed. It has been demonstrated that the biggest source of error in the stiffness modulus measuring process is the displacement measure. The aim of the research was to find the measurement uncertainty for stiffness modulus by an indirect tensile test and the presentation of examples of the used statistical methods.

Cold In-Place Recycling as a Sustainable Pavement Practice

Pavement rehabilitation and reconstruction methods with CIR （cold in-place recycling） are alternatives that can effectively reduce the high stresses and waste produced by conventional pavement strategies. An attempt was made to predict the performance, particularly low-temperature cracking resistance characteristics of CIR mixtures. These were prepared with the mix design procedure developed at the URI （University of Rhode Island） for the FHWA （Federal Highway Administration） to reduce wide variations in the application of CIR mixtures production. This standard was applied to RAP （reclaimed asphalt pavement） to produce CIR mixtures with CSS-Ih asphalt emulsion as the additive. By adjusting the number of gyrations of the SGC （Superpave gyratory compactor） for compaction, the field density of 130 pcf was represented accurately. To secure a base line, HMA （hot mix asphalt） samples were produced according to the Superpave volumetric mix design procedure. The specimens were tested using the IDT （indirect tensile） tester according to the procedure of AASHTO T 322 procedure at temperatures of-20, -10 and 0 ℃ （-4, 14, and 32°F, respectively）. The obtained results for the creep compliance and tensile strength were used as input data for the MEPDG （mechanistic empirical pavement design guide）. The analysis results indicated that no thermal or low-temperature cracking is expected over the entire analysis period of 20 years for both HMA and CIR mixtures. Thus, it appears that CIR is a sustainable rehabilitation technique which is also suitable for colder climates, and it is recommended to conduct further investigation of load-related distresses such as rutting and fatigue cracking.

Mechanical Properties of Sustainable,Self-healing Porous Asphalt Concrete

Long lifetime sustainable porous asphalt concrete containing steel fibers was designed. The material is self healing in such a sense that some external stimulus is needed in the form of heating by induction energy. Steel wool was added to porous asphalt concrete to enhance its electrical conductivity and induction heating was applied to increase the temperature to heal the micro-cracks and repair the bonding between aggregate and binder. The main purpose of this paper is to examine the mechanical properties of this sustainable porous asphalt concrete including indirect tensile strength,work of fracture,particle loss resistance and water sensitivity. It is found that adding steel fibers to porous asphalt concrete to increase the healing performance also can improve its overall mechanical properties.

Evaluation of asphalt mixture behavior incorporating warm mix additives and reclaimed asphalt pavement

Incorporation of warm mix asphalt （WMA） and reclaimed asphalt pavement （RAP） has benefited the asphalt industry in many ways such as reducing the demand for virgin materials, lowering energy requirement during the asphalt production and construction, in addition to reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. This study evaluated the effects of Evotherm and RH-WMA and RAP on mixtures＇ behavior in terms of the compaction energy index （CEI）, indirect tensile strength （ITS） and resilient modulus. The results showed that warm mix additives reduced the CEI, ITS and resilient modulus; while RAP increased the corresponding values. Statistical analysis showed that mixtures incorporating Evotherm and RAP had significant effects on CEI, while the effects of RH-WMA on the corresponding value were found to be statistically insignificant. General Linear Model showed that Evotherm, RAP and RH-WMA exhibited no significant effects on the ITS and resilient modulus. The one-way analysis of variance showed that Evotherm influenced mixture behavior significantly, while RAP and RH-WMA effects were found to be statistically insignificant. Regression equations with high accuracy levels were proposed to predict CEI, ITS and resilient modulus with respect to modification of mixture variables such as mix constituents （Evotherm, RH-WMA, and RAP） and compaction temperature.

Ultraviolet Radiation Aging of Tafpack-Super Modified Porous Asphalt Concrete

Ultraviolet aging of porous asphalt concrete is more serious than that of dense-grade concrete,attributing to its relatively high air void structure. And Tafpack-Super (TPS) is widely used as an asphalt viscosifier. For the purpose of determining the effect of TPS content on resistance to ultraviolet aging,TPS powder was added to base asphalt in various weight ratios (0%,4%,8%,12% and 16%). After mixing,the loose mixtures were short-term aged and then put in the Indoor Accelerated Ultraviolet Radiation Aging Oven for several particular times and then were compacted by Gyratory Compactor at 20%±2% air void. The specimens were tested and recorded by means of indirect tensile strength (ITS) to quantify the aging extent. The results show that 8% TPS by weight is the optimum content of base asphalt on resistance to ultraviolet aging. And the ITS of mixtures with different binder reach a peak value for approximately 2 h ultraviolet irradiation.