A review of top-down cracking in asphalt pavements:Causes, models, experimental tools and future challenges

In the last decades,a new type of distress has been observed more and more frequently on asphalt pavements.This distress,ascribable to fatigue failure,has been named top-down cracking(TDC) because it consists in longitudinal cracks that initiate on the pavement surface and then propagate downwards.A series of surveys recently carried out on Italian motorways highlighted that TDC can affect up to 20%-30% of the slow traffic lane.Therefore,in order to achieve a better understanding of such distress,this paper reviews causes,models and experimental tools and highlights future challenges for TDC.The literature review indicates that TDC can evolve on the pavement surface in three stages(i.e.,single crack,sister cracks,alligator cracking) and,below a certain depth,the cracks can form angles of 20°-40° with respect to the vertical plane.Even though multiple factors contribute to TDC development,thick pavements are more likely to fail due to TDC induced by tire-pavement contact stresses,especially in the presence of open-graded friction courses(OGFCs).Moreover,in literature there are several TDC models based on mechanics(e.g.,fracture mechanics or continuum damage mechanics) which allow a rigorous study of crack initiation and propagation.Future challenges include the identification of a reliable and feasible test method,among those proposed in literature,to study the TDC performance of asphalt mixtures and the implementation of TDC in pavement management systems(PMSs) through the definition of criteria for TDC recognition in the field as well as for the rehabilitation depth evaluation.Finally,more research is needed for open-graded asphalt mixtures,which present critical drawbacks in terms of TDC.

Experimental characterization of the 3D linear viscoelastic behavior of cold recycled bitumen emulsion mixtures

Cold mixtures with bitumen emulsion are produced at ambient temperature, leading to substantial reductions of energy consumption and atmospheric emissions. In cold recycling applications, cement is normally used to improve the mixture performance. Thus, the rheological behavior of cold recycled mixtures is different from that of conventional hot mixtures because it is due to the interaction of fresh bitumen, aged bitumen and cementitious bonds. In this study, we investigated the three-dimensional(3 D) linear viscoelastic(LVE) behavior of a cement-bitumen treated material(CBTM) mixture fabricated using bitumen emulsion and cement. For comparison, we also investigated the 3 D LVE behavior of hot-mix asphalt containing 25% of reclaimed asphalt and fabricated using polymermodified binder. Sinusoidal axial tests on cylindrical specimens, were carried out at various temperatures(from 0℃ to 50℃) and frequencies(from 0.1 to 12 Hz). The complex Young’s modulus E~*and the complex Poisson’s ratio v~*were determined through the measurement of axial and transverse strain. We show that when considering E*, CBTM mixtures may be considered thermo-rheologically simple and the Huet-Sayegh model can be used to simulate the frequencyetemperature dependence. On the other hand, when considering v*the behavior of CBTM mixtures is very different from that of hot mix asphalt. In particular, its absolute value is almost constant and very close to 0.15.

Recycling of reclaimed fibers from end-of-life tires in hot mix asphalt

Nowadays, the disposal of end-of-life tires(ELT) is worldwide one of the major concerns for the environment as well as for public health. Crumb rubber and steel wires, the main byproducts(in terms of weight) deriving from the ELT processing, can be recycled in several ways. However, the textile fiber, representing about 10% of the waste by weight, is typically not reused and ends up in landfills or incinerators. The present paper deals with the use of reclaimed fibers from ELT in hot mix asphalt(HMA), with the aim to improve its performance. The study included the preliminary characterization of the fiber through microscope observation and Fourier trans form infrared(FTIR) spectroscopy and then the investigation of the mechanical properties of HMA containing ELT fibers, in comparison with an ordinary HMA with no fibers. In particular, indirect tensile strength(ITS), indirect tensile stiffness modulus(ITSM), semi-circular bending(SCB), three point bending(3PB)and indirect tensile fatigue(ITF) tests were carried out. The results showed that the use of ELT fibers does not reflect in a significant improvement in terms of strength and stiffness properties. However, the ELT fibers determine a noticeable increase of the HMA resistance to fatigue, probably related to the ability of the fibers in sewing the micro-crack edges and contrasting the macro-crack opening.

Chemical,morphological and rheological characterization of bitumen partially replaced with wood bio-oil:Towards more sustainable materials in road pavements

Nowadays,sustainability and circular economy are two principles to be pursued in all fields.In road pavement engineering,they can be put into practice through the partial substitution of bitumen with industrial residues and by-products deriving from renewable materials.Within this framework,this paper presents an extensive investigation of the chemical,morphological and rheological properties of bio-binders obtained by mixing a conventional 50/70 bitumen with different percentages by weight(0,5%,10%and 15%)of a renewable bio-oil,generated as a residue in the processing of wood into pulp and paper.Results show that overall the bio-oil provides a softening effect,which,in terms of performance,leads to an improvement of the low-temperature behaviour and fatigue resistance with respect to the control bitumen,in spite of an increased tendency to permanent deformation.Although no chemical reaction appears to occur after blending,the peculiarities of the bio-oil affect the chemistry of the resulting bio-binders,whereas no phase separation is observed from the microscopic analysis.In addition,a Newtonian behaviour,an unchanged temperature susceptibility and a good fitting of 1 S2 P1 D model to the rheological data are found,regardless of the bio-oil percentage considered.These promising outcomes suggest that such bio-binders can be favourably employed for several applications in road pavements.

A semi-empirical model for top-down cracking depth evolution in thick asphalt pavements with open-graded friction courses

Thick asphalt pavements with open-graded friction course(OGFC) are exposed to topdown cracking(TDC), a distress consisting of longitudinal cracks that initiate on the pavement surface close to the wheel path and propagate downwards. The main objective of this study is to develop a semi-empirical model for the prediction of TDC depth evolution for such pavements. For this purpose, a series of cores were taken from different Italian motorway pavements affected by TDC and analyzed in the laboratory. Cracked cores taken from the wheel path area were analyzed to determine TDC depth, whereas intact cores taken from the middle of the lane(not affected by traffic loadings) were tested to obtain the volumetric and mechanical properties of the OGFC mixture. The proposed model, developed on the basis of the results already available in literature and on the findings of the laboratory investigation, predicts the evolution of TDC depth as a function of the applied traffic loadings(in terms of 12-ton fatigue equivalent single axle loads, i.e., ESALs). The model is sigmoidal with a maximum TDC depth assumed equal to 150 mm. The shape parameter of the sigmoidal function depends on the indirect tensile strength(ITS) of the OGFC mixtures(which takes into account indirectly also the volumetrics and stiffness of the OGFC), whereas the evolutive translation factor depends on the age of the OGFC mixture. After excluding some outliers, the model was able to predict the measured TDC depth very well. Moreover, in-situ observations allowed a preliminary validation of the proposed model. This model can be used in pavement management systems(PMSs) to plan surface repairs due to TDC in a timely manner, thus minimizing pavement damage and maintenance costs.