See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/320064389

Air void characterisation in porous asphalt using X-ray computed tomography

Conference Paper · January 2014

CITATIONS READS

0 120

3 authors, including:

Norhidayah Abdul Hassan Ramadhansyah Putra Jaya

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Universiti Malaysia Pahang
159 PUBLICATIONS   900 CITATIONS    267 PUBLICATIONS   1,324 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

BioRecycling of 100% RAP View project

Nano Technology in Civil Engineering View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Ramadhansyah Putra Jaya on 01 October 2017.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

Advanced Materials Research Online: 2014-03-24
ISSN: 1662-8985, Vol. 911, pp 443-448
doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.911.443
© 2014 Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland

Air Void Characterisation in Porous Asphalt Using X-ray Computed

Tomography
Norhidayah Abdul Hassan1,a, MohdZulHanif Mahmud2*,b
and Ramadhansyah Putra Jaya3,c
1,2,3
Faculty of Civil Engineering and Transportation Research Alliance, UniversitiTeknologi
Malaysia, Skudai 81310, Malaysia
* Corresponding Author
a
hnorhidayah@utm.my, b*mohdzulhanif@gmail.com, c ramadhansyah@utm.my

Keywords: Air Voids; Porous Asphalt;NMAS;Lift Thickness; X-ray CT; Imaging Technique

Abstract.This study presents the characterisation of the air voids distribution for porous asphalt
mixtures compacted using gyratory compactor. The distribution of voids content and voids shape
within the porous asphalt were characterised for different nominal maximum aggregate size
(NMAS) and specimen height. This is to evaluate the effect of different aggregate size composition
and lift thickness on the air voids characteristics of the compacted porous asphalt. Two types of
gradations were adopted i.e. Grading A (with NMAS=10 mm) and Grading B (with NMAS=14
mm) and they were fabricated for two different heights (50 and 100 mm). The internal structure was
captured using X-ray Computed Tomography and image analysis techniques were used to process
and analyse the images. It was found that mixture with coarse aggregate gradation produced larger
void size with an elongated shape, which indicates voids connectivity within the mixture compared
to fine gradation with more circular and smaller void size.For lift thickness, itacts differentlyfor
different aggregate gradations. The specimen produced greater voids connectivity when the fine and
coarse gradations were compacted at 100 mm and 50 mm respectively. These show that NMAS and
lift thickness influence the mobility of the aggregate particles during compaction which affect the
voids formation and determine the effectiveness of the compaction.

Introduction
With the advancement of imaging technology, investigation on the internal structure properties of
asphalt mixture is made possible by using X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) and image analysis
techniques. The internal structure of asphalt mixture can be categorised into three major
components i.e. aggregates, air voids and mastic [1]. For porous asphalt, the air voids
characterisation provides information regarding the voids interconnectivity within the compacted
mixture. This is important because porous asphalt is a type of wearing course that is designed for
water to be transmitted internally compared to the conventional type of pavement that is dense
graded mixture. It should be noted that, the permeability of an asphalt mixture is not only measured
on the basis of the total voids content, but also the interconnectivity between air voids [2]. This is
due to the fact that specimens with the same air void content might give different results of
permeability. Porous asphalt mixtures typically consist of high amount of air voids that is around 18
to 25 %. High amount of air voids indicates higher tendency of interconnected air voids that allow
water to be channelled through the pores. In addition, the voids expose a large surface area against
air and water, leading to rapid aging of the binder which could lead to the loss of adhesion and fine
particles. This paper presents an investigation on the air voids characteristics of porous asphalt in
gyratory compacted specimens produced at different NMAS and thickness. The investigation is
significant since the air voids play an important role on the performance and of porous asphalt.

All rights reserved. No part of contents of this paper may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of Trans
Tech Publications, www.scientific.net. (#101940950, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia UTM, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia-01/10/17,03:24:34)
444 Key Engineering Materials - Development and Application

Materials and Methods

The compacted specimens of porous asphalt were fabricated according to Malaysian Standard
Specification for Road Works from Public Works Department [3]. Based on the specification, two
mixture types were established for Malaysian application i.e. Grading A and Grading B as shown in
Figure 1. In this study, crushed granite and performance grade bitumen (PG76) were used for
preparing the specimens.The binder content used is 5%. The specimens were mixed at the
temperature of 180°C and compacted at 170°C using Superpave gyratory compactor. The machine
was set at a pressure of 0.6 MPa and an external angle of gyration of 1.25°. A few trials were made
to achieve the specified dimension: diameter, 100 mm, and two different heights (50 mm and 100
mm) for NMAS 10 mm and 14 mm. A total of 12 specimens were prepared for this investigation. It
should be noted that the use of non-destructive imaging technique of X-ray CT has reduced the
number of specimens produced for obtaining a reliable results. Details of the specimens are given in
Table 1.
Table 1: Porous Asphalt Mixture Design Characteristics
Mixture Type NMAS Mix-design Specimen Height Air Voids %
Porous Asphalt - 50 mm 17.4
Grading A (GA) 10 mm
5% PG76 + 2.0% 100 mm 17.9
Hydrated Lime +
Porous Asphalt - 50 mm 18.4
14 mm Granite Aggregates
Grading B (GB)
100 mm 18.5

100
Grading A
Percentage Passing, (%)

80
Grading B
60

40

20

0
0.01 0.1 1 10 100
Sieve Size, (mm)
Figure 1: Aggregate Gradation for Porous Asphalt Mixture (Grading A and B)

Image Acquisition and Image Processing

The specimens were scanned using X-ray CT (inspeXio smx-225CT). The machine is capable of
taking micro-focus data using cone beam method. The process of scanning starts when X-rays are
transmitted from source of the scanner with the voltage up to 225kV. Based on a few trials attempt,
190 kV is found to be ideal for scanning the porous asphalt. The different grey levels in X-ray
images are the results of different in intensity level received by the detector. The specimen was
rotated at 360° generating multiple two dimensional image slices from top to the bottom of the
specimen at the interval of 0.2 mm. The resolution obtained was approximately 0.20 mm/pixel and
the images were saved in Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) as 8 bit. The images were then
processed for improving the image quality and analysed for getting information using imaging
software of ImageJ. For 8 bit image, it consists of 256 grey levels where 0 is the darkest region and
255 is the brightest region. Dark region indicates low density objects such as air voids while bright
region indicates high density objects such as aggregates. The image processing was undertaken to
eliminate problems such as ring effects and noises. The images were enhanced using brightness and
 Advanced Materials Research Vol. 911 445

contrast tool and filtered using Gaussian Blur and median filter to reduce noise. The images were
then thresholded by selecting the area of interest (air voids) and converted into binary images (black
and white) for further analysis to characterise the air voids properties. Detailed operations on the X-
ray image can be referred to Figure 2.

(a) (b) (c) (d)

Figure 2: Image enhancement and segmentation (a) original X-ray image, (b) brightness adjustment
and filtering, (c) thresholding and (d) binary image

Air Voids Analysis

In this study, the extracted air voids were analysed in terms of voids content and voids shape
distributions. A few voids parameters were measured including voids content, average voids size,
voids number and voids shape (circularity, roundness and aspect ratio). These parameters are
significant in describing the air voids interconnectivity. For example, at the same air voids content,
the higher the voids number, the higher the voids connectivity. For voids shape, if the circularity,
roundness and aspect ratio values are close to 1.0, it indicates circular air voids while higher aspect
ratio and low values of roundness and circularity (approaching 0.0), indicating an increasingly
elongated shape of voids [4,5]. The shape parameters were calculated using Equations 1-3.
[ ]
Circularity = 4 × [ ]
(1)

[ ]
Roundness = 4 × [ (2)
]

[ ]
Aspect Ratio = [ ]
(3)

Result and Discussion

Air Voids Content. Figure 3 shows the distribution of the voids content, average voids size and
number of voids through the specimen height, h for Grading A and B produced with 50 and 100
mm thickness. Table 2 gives the mean value of the air voids characteristics averaged throughout the
specimen. Since the specimen height varies from 50 mm to 100 mm, the height is converted to
height ratio for comparing the voids distribution. The height ratio is the ratio of the referred
specimen height (at any level) to the total height of the specimen [6]. Based on the figure, top
section is referred to the ratio of 0 and bottom section is 1. It should be noted that the very first and
last few slices at the top and bottom sections were excluded from the analysis as a result of material
dislodging at the edges (during handling) due to high air void content in porous asphalt which
further increase the air void content thus provide inconsistencies. Based on Figure 3, it can be seen
that both mixtures produced almost identical voids content distribution along the specimen height.
However, interesting observation can be found in Figure 3(b & c) where it shows that even though
the voids content distribution almost similar but the total number and average void size formed
differently within the specimen. Smaller voids size can be found in Grading A with high number of
voids. This is because during compaction, the fine aggregate tends to fill up the voids spaces
446 Key Engineering Materials - Development and Application

developed within the aggregate structure, thus reducing voids size. In addition, larger portion of
coarse aggregate in Grading B leads to greater resistance towards compaction due to the aggregate
interlocking causing less mobility of the aggregate particles. When comparing the lift thickness,
specimen compacted at the height of 50 and 100 mm, they give a contrast result based on the
different aggregate composition. Grading A forms larger voids size when compacted at the
thickness of 100 mm due to the less aggregate mobility developed during compaction compared to
the specimen compacted at the thickness of 50 mm. Larger gap between the top plate and the base
plate produces less pressure (compaction effort) distributed within the specimen thus discourage the
particles movement. In contrast, for Grading B, coarse aggregate gradation produces larger voids
size when compacted at 50 mm thickness compared to 100 mm. This could be due to the less
aggregate mobility within the specimen contributed by the aggregate interlocking and limited
spaces that resist the aggregate particles movement. However, when compacted at the thickness of
100 mm, larger volume size reduces the effect of 'confinement' on the aggregate arrangement
particularly at the middle section of the specimen. As a result, the resistance in movement that
contributed by the aggregate interlock could be reduced thus enhance the compaction.
Table 2: Mean Air Voids Distribution based on Imaging Analysis
Grading A Grading B
Voids Characteristics
h=50 mm h=100 mm h=50 mm h=100 mm
Mean voids content (%) 17.47 17.92 18.46 18.53
Mean average voids size (mm2) 4.53 6.02 9.89 8.95
Mean for voids number 304 236 148 167

Voids content (%) Average voids size (mm2) Number of voids

10 13 16 19 22 0 3 6 9 12 15 18 50 150 250 350 450
0 0 0

0.2
0.2 0.2
0.4
Height Ratio

0.4 0.4
0.6
0.6 0.6
0.8
0.8 0.8
1
1 1
(a) (b) (c)
Figure 3: Air Voids Distributions (a) Percentage (b) Size (c) Number of Air Voids

Air Voids Shape

Figure 4 shows the distributions of air voids shape i.e. circularity, roundness and aspect ratio. The
mean value of the shape properties is presented in Table 3. Overall, the result shows that the mean
aspect ratio for all mixtures is more than 2. This indicates that the voids formed in the porous
asphalt tend to be elongated with the longest dimension twice the smallest dimension of the voids
shape. Based on the result, it can be seen that Grading A with finer gradation has more circular and
rounded air voids shapes with smaller aspect ratio compared to Grading B. The elongated shape of
voids describes the air voids connectivity within Grading B. This is because coarse aggregate
gradation has more stone-on-stone contact that lead to the formation of elongated air voids and also
influenced from the aggregate shape.This finding supports that coarser gradation has a greater
potential to have air voids connectivity compared to the finer gradation. When comparing the lift
thickness, the voids shape for Grading A tends to be less circular for thicker specimen (100 mm)
compared to Grading B, the circularity of the voids shape increased at the same specimen height,
 Advanced Materials Research Vol. 911 447

which indicate different aggregate arrangement within both specimens. This finding reflects the
points highlighted in the aforementioned section that higher mobility of aggregates particles could
lead to better aggregate arrangement as the fines could fill up the spaces and reduces the voids size
thus forms circular shape. On the contrary, the larger the voids size formed in porous asphalt, it has
greater it tendency to form an elongated shape which guided by the large composition of coarse
aggregate within the porous asphalt.
Table 3: Mean Air Voids Shape Descriptor based on Imaging Analysis
Grading A Grading B
Voids Shape
h=50 mm h=100 mm h=50 mm h=100 mm
Mean for Air Voids Circularity 0.741 0.695 0.635 0.658
Mean for Air Voids Roundness 0.575 0.558 0.515 0.567
Mean for Air Voids Aspect Ratio 2.050 2.130 2.410 2.173

Circularity Roundness Aspect Ratio

0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0
0 0 0

0.2 0.2 0.2

Height Ratio

0.4 0.4 0.4

0.6 0.6 0.6

0.8 0.8 0.8

1 1 1
(a) (b) (c)
Figure 4: Air Voids Shape Distributions (a) Circularity (b) Roundness (c) Aspect Ratio

Conclusion
From the study it can be concluded that coarse aggregate gradation of porous asphalt mixture tends
to produce larger void size with an elongated shape which describe the formation of voids
interconnectivity. The lift thickness has an opposite effect towards the different gradations. For
Grading A (finer gradation), compacted at 100 mm appears to have larger voids size and more
elongated shapebut for Grading B (coarser gradation), thicker specimens produced smaller air voids
size with more circular shape. These findings show that NMAS and lift thickness affect the
characteristics of the air voids formed within the compacted specimen of porous asphalt.

Acknowledgement
The authors wish to acknowledgethe support of Ministry of Education Malaysia (MOE) and
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia for funding this study under the research grant of PAS00K46.
 448 Key Engineering Materials - Development and Application

References
[1] N.A. Hassan, G.D. Airey, R. Khan and A.C. Collop. "Nondestructive Characterisation of the
Effect of Asphalt Mixture Compaction on Aggregate Orientation and Segregation Using X-ray
Computed Tomography." International Journal of Pavement Research and Technology 5.2
(2012): 84-92.
[2] F. Phumlani, E. Van Thulani, & P. Masondo. Further development of Twinlay porous asphalt
surfaces. Diss. University of Cape Town, South Africa, 2001.
[3] Malaysia, P.W.D. "Standard specification for road works, section 4, flexible
pavement." Jabatan. Kerja Raya Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur (2008).
[4] N.A. Hassan. Microstructural characterisation of rubber modified asphalt mixtures. Ph.D.
Thesis. University of Nottingham. (2012).
[5] Ferreira, T. A., and W. Rasband. "The ImageJ User Guide—Version 1.43."Image Processing
And Analysis In JAVA (2010).(Placeholder1)
[6]E. Masad, LaithTashman, Dallas Little, and Hussein Zbib. "Viscoplastic modeling of asphalt
mixes with the effects of anisotropy, damage and aggregate characteristics." Mechanics of
Materials 37.12 (2005): 1242-1256.
[7]Hunter, Alistair E., Gordon D. Airey, and Andrew C. Collop. "Effect of asphalt mixture
compaction on aggregate orientation and mechanical performance."Proceedings of the 8th
Conference on Asphalt Pavements for Southern Africa (CAPSA'04). Vol. 12. 2004.
[8] L.F. Walubita, B.Jamison, A.E. Alvarez, X. Hu, and C. Mushota. "Air void characterisation of
HMA gyratory laboratory-moulded samples and field cores using X-ray computed tomography
(X-ray CT)."Journal of the South African Institution of Civil Engineering 54.1 (2012): 22-30.

View publication stats