Keyword 4

Keyword: Strength of the mixture of Asphalt

The addition of natural sludge to the mixtures has increased stability, increased air voids contents of the mixtures.
The addition has compromised mixture adhesiveness. With respect to the addition of calcined sludge to the
mixtures, the mixtures with calcined sludge displayed the same behavior as those with cement. It was observed
decrease in empty space volume of the mixtures and consequent increase in empty space-bitumen relation and
increased stability. The mixture addition of natural sludge that has the best mechanical and volumetric performance
is the one with 7.5% of natural sludge in the granulometric composition of the mixture. The mixture with 1% of
calcined sludge had the best volumetric and mechanical performance.

Authors: Maria Ingunza, Olavo santos.

Source: Sewage Sludge as Raw-Material in Asphalt Mixtures

The strength of asphalt mixture is directly associated with the overall performance of asphalt mixture. As a top layer
material of asphalt pavement, the strength of asphalt mixture plays an indispensable role in the top structural bearing
layer. In the present design system, the strength of asphalt pavement is usually achieved via the laboratory tests. The
stress states are usually different for the different laboratory approaches. Even at the same stress level, the laboratory
strengths of asphalt mixture obtained are significantly different, which leads to misunderstanding of the asphalt
mixtures used in asphalt pavement structure design. The arbitrariness of strength determinations affects the
effectiveness of the asphalt pavement structure design in civil engineering. Therefore, in order to overcome the design
deviation caused by the randomness of the laboratory strength of asphalt mixtures, in this study, the direct tension,
indirect tension, and unconfined compression tests were implemented on the specimens under different loading rates.
The strength model of asphalt mixture under different loading modes was established. The relationship between the
strength ratio and loading rate of direct tension, indirect tension, and unconfined compression tests was adopted
separately. Then, one unified strength model of asphalt mixture with different loading modes was established. The
preliminary results show that the proposed unified strength model could be applied to improve the accurate degree of
laboratory strength. The effectiveness of laboratory-based asphalt pavement structure design can therefore be
promoted.

Authors: Chengdong Xia, Songtao Lv, Lingyun You, Dong Chen, Yipeng Li, Jianlong Zheng.
Source: Unified Strength Model of Asphalt Mixture under Various Loading Modes

In regions with low-temperatures, action transverse cracks can appear in asphalt pavements as a result of thermal
stresses that exceed the fracture strength of materials used in asphalt layers. To better understand thermal cracking
phenomenon, strength properties of different asphalt mixtures were investigated. Four test methods were used to
assess the influence of bitumen type and mixture composition on tensile strength properties of asphalt mixtures:
tensile strength was measured using the thermal stress restrained specimen test (TSRST) and the uniaxial tension
stress test (UTST), flexural strength was measured using the bending beam test (BBT), and fracture toughness was
measured using the semi-circular bending test (SCB). The strength reserve behavior of tested asphalt mixtures was
assessed as well. The influence of cooling rate on the strength reserve was investigated and correlations between
results from different test methods were also analyzed and discussed. It was observed that the type of bitumen was
a factor of crucial importance to low-temperature properties of the tested asphalt concretes. This conclusion was
valid for all test methods that were used. It was also observed that the level of cooling rate influenced the strength
reserve and, in consequence, resistance to low-temperature cracking. It was concluded that reasonably good
correlations were observed between strength results for the UTST, BBT, and SCB test methods.

Authors: Marek Pszczola, Mariusz Jaczewski, Cezary Szydlowski.

Source: Assessment of Thermal Stresses in Asphalt Mixtures at Low Temperatures Using the Tensile Creep
Test and the Bending Beam Creep Test