Behavior of an asphalt mixture MDC-19 under the cycles of ambient temperature in the city of Tunja, Colombia

Carol Rosabeth Sanabria Sanabria,Carlos Hernando Higuera Sandoval

doi:10.22463/0122820x.1803

Carol Rosabeth Sanabria Sanabria, Carlos Hernando Higuera Sandoval

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.22463/0122820x.1803

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Abstract

The weather factor plays an important role in the behavior and performance of asphalt mixtures as a surface layer in a flexible pavement structure, not just from the moisture, but also from the environmental temperature. Asphalt layers of the flexible pavements in Tunja city exposes daily to environmental temperature variations, which usually occur when the highest temperatures are reached during the daytime, and the lowest temperatures appear at night and early morning time. Firstly, this research is based , on the definition of the environmental temperature cycles that occur daily in Tunja City, from the analysis of the temperature series. Subsequently, the analysis was done through laboratory tests on an asphalt mix MDC-19 INVIAS type, made and compacted in the laboratory, to determine the influence of the cycles of environmental temperature on its density, stability and flow properties, during 120 daily and continuous temperature cycles, which consist of 12 hours of maximum temperature and 12 hours of minimum temperature to simulate the environmental conditions. As a result of this investigation, the presentation density is presented, presenting a tendency to increase the measurement that increases the temperature cycles and then a decrease in the briquettes of the mixture that have sometimes been until the last cycles. Variations in the resistance to deformation of the analysis mixture were obtained as the ambient temperature cycles were sometimes made, which concludes that the ambient temperature cycles have an influence on the behavior of the asphalt mixture.

Highlights

Flexible pavements are directly exposed to climatic changes [1] and must provide a stable, durable and uniform surface [2]
The MDC-19 asphalt mix briquettes manufactured in the laboratory were submitted from cycle 0 to a total of 120 daily cycles of temperature variation in the laboratory and three days per week the bulk specifi c gravity was determined in the laboratory, Stability and fl ow of the mixture, testing 1 briquette after each determined cycle and keeping the remaining group that continued under the temperature cycles
In the registry data series, it was found that, in the period from January 2000 to December 2016, absolute minimum ambient temperatures of -0.6°C and absolute maximum ambient temperatures of 25.4°C have been sporadically presented and, that the weighted minimum and maximum weighted average ambient temperatures are respectively 5.1°C and 21.2°C, which are transmitted to the rolling layer of a 50 mm thick asphalt mixture, until an effective temperature of the mixture is obtained ( Tmix) of 7.7°C and 32.6°C, in each case for the definition of daily temperature cycles

Summary

Introduction

Flexible pavements are directly exposed to climatic changes [1] and must provide a stable, durable and uniform surface [2]. The effect that cycles of ambient temperature variation have on asphalt mixtures (freezing and defrosting cycles) has been recognized as a factor that gives rise to problems to the extent that temperature exposure conditions fluctuate [7]. In order for these cycles to occur, extreme temperatures do not necessarily have to be reached in asphalt mixtures, this effect occurs more when temperatures are close to the freezing point, since this allows the cycles to fluctuate more from relatively low temperatures to temperatures greater

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