A TIME DEPENDENT VAPOR FLOW MODEL OF ASPHALT CONCRETE

Mohiuddin Ahmad and Rafiqul Tarefder

Department of Civil Engineering, University of new Mexico
Asphalt concrete 6
Yes
4.5%
changes volume over

Absorbed moisture 365 days , gm

5.6% High air void
5
time? Medium air void
4 Low air void
Problem Statement

3
Existing flow models No 7.4% 2.9%
consider it?
4.0%
2 6.2%
2.8%

3.6%
5.4%
1
YES as swelling
0
Need for new model? changes pore 3 cm samples 2 cm samples 1 cm samples
structure Thickness of the samples, cm

Applicable to Thickness Absorption

materials other than Yes Air void Absorption
asphalt concrete?
50
45 3 cm samples

Vapor flow in 365 days, gm

40 2 cm samples
35
Laboratory tests to verify the swelling of AC 30 1 cm samples
25 R² = 0.981
Model Development

20
R² = 0.9517
A time dependent vapor flow function is 15
10
considered Test Results 5 R² = 0.9717
0
2.00 4.00 6.00 8.00
Air void (%)
Development of the model
50
Generalized for variable air void and
Vapor flow for 1cm samples, gm

45 R² = 0.9958
40 High air void
thickness 35 Medium air void
30 Low air void
25
R² = 0.9948
Validated using laboratory tests 20
15
10
5
0
1 10 100 1000
Time, days
• Three different
thickness
Laboratory Testing

• Three different air 0.14

Permeability, gm/cm2/day

voids 3 cm
0.12 R² = 0.9995
• Two replica 2 cm
0.1 1 cm
R² = 0.9949
0.08

0.06
• 250C and 50 % RH
• Vapor flow recorded 0.04
R² = 0.8925
at 3, 6, 10, and 365 0.02
days
0
• Swelling ranges from 0.00 2.00 4.00 6.00 8.00
0.56 to 4.76 Air void, %

0.14
1 ∆𝐺
Basic equation: 𝑉𝑇 =
Experimental vapor permeability

𝐴 ∆𝑡 0.12
Where,
Model Verification
Analytical Development

𝛼
Assuming, 𝑉𝑇 (𝑡) = VT = Vapor transmission rate 0.1
𝑡
𝐺 = 𝛼𝐴 ∗ 𝑙𝑛(𝑡) + 𝑐 ΔG = amount of vapor flow
gm/cm2/day

in time Δt A = cross section 0.08

Darcy’s Law: 𝑉𝑇 = 𝑘𝑖 area 0.06
Here, i= Δh/L and G = total vapor transport R2 = 0.92
∆ℎ = 𝑆(𝑅𝐻1 − 𝑅𝐻2 ) k = vapor permeability 0.04
i = pressure gradient
Finally, S = saturation vapor
0.02
−17.27𝑇 𝛼𝐿 pressure 0
𝑘= 2.1824𝑒 𝑇+237.3
(1 − 𝑅𝐻2 )𝑡 RH = relative humidity 0 0.05 0.1
Analytical Vapor permeability, gm/cm2/day
Generalizing for Va and L,
−17.27𝑇 𝑉𝑎2.11
𝑘= 0.0247𝑒 𝑇+237.3
𝐿0.867 (1 − 𝑅𝐻2 )𝑡
Acknowledgement
The author would like to thank NMDOT for funding this
project