Effect of polypropylene fibres on bituminous concrete with brick as aggregate

Abstract

The need for alternate materials in road construction is increasing due to non-availability of good aggregate in many places. In search of an alternate material in pavement construction, laboratory investigations were done to evaluate the effect of fibre reinforcement on bituminous concrete using brick as aggregates. Properties of the bituminous mix using brick aggregate, both first class brick and over burnt bricks were explored in this study. Resilient modulus, indirect tensile strength tests, and creep tests were carried out on test samples using polypropylene modified bitumen. When 2% fibre was added, the resilient modulus increased by 162% in case of first class brick aggregate and for overburnt brick aggregate resilient modulus increased to 157% when 4% fibre was added. Effect of temperature variations on the resilient modulus, moisture susceptibility, fatigue and rutting tests were also performed to analyze the feasibility of using brick aggregate as a pavement material. This study indicates that the use of polypropylene fibre has improved the properties of brick aggregate bituminous mix thus leading to an efficient pavement alternative.