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.

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.

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.