Abstract
The paving-heavy crude oils (PHCO) are natural cut-back asphalts composed by a high content of asphalt cement and a portion of solvents. These materials have been used in Colombia since the 90’s to improve low volume traffic roads. The existence of solvents in the PHCO allows mixing it with the aggregates in cold conditions. Then, before compaction, these asphalt mixtures require a curing process (i.e., process of partial loss of solvents from the PHCO) to ensure its proper performance. However, at present there is no consensus on the loss of solvents to specify for the curing process of mixtures fabricated with PHCO. Given this situation, this study assesses the effect of the partial content of solvents on both the mechanical response and compactability of asphalt mixtures produced using PHCO from the Castilla’s oil field (CA); a material extensively used in the East region of Colombia. The study included conducting and analyzing conventional characterization tests of the mixture constituent materials, surface free energy testing on both mastics and the aggregate, mix design, and characterization of both mechanical response and compactability of the mixtures fabricated using the CA and a control asphalt. Corresponding results led to identify and quantify a progressive improvement in both the adhesion quality of the mastic-aggregate interfaces and the mechanical response of the asphalt mixture as a function of the reduction of the solvents. These results suggest the convenience of compacting the asphalt mixtures fabricated using the CA after allowing a loss of 50% of the solvents obtained from the CA via atmospheric distillation at 360°C.
Highlights
The paving-heavy crude oils (PHCO) are natural cut-back asphalts composed by a high content of asphalt cement and a portion of solvents
This study assesses the effect of the partial content of solvents on both the mechanical response and compactability of asphalt mixtures produced using PHCO from the Castilla’s oil field (CA); a material extensively used in the East region of Colombia
These results suggest the convenience of compacting the asphalt mixtures fabricated using the CA after allowing a loss of 50% of the solvents obtained from the CA via atmospheric distillation at 360◦C
Summary
Colombia posee una extensa red de vías de bajo volumen de tránsito (VBVT), de cerca de 143.000 km; sin embargo, se calcula que el 94 % de la misma se encuentra “sin pavimentar” [1]. El alto contenido de cemento asfáltico en los CPPs y la presencia natural de solventes en estos materiales, que permite su mezcla en frío con el agregado y la compactación de la mezcla asfáltica conformada (después del curado de la mezcla; i.e., proceso de pérdida parcial de solventes del crudo) han motivado el uso de CPPs para la producción de mezclas asfálticas. En consonancia con este criterio, para el diseño y producción de mezclas asfálticas con CPPs, en campo y laboratorio, se ha adoptado comúnmente el mismo criterio de pérdida de solventes durante el curado (i.e., referido a los solventes extraíbles por destilación atmosférica a 360◦C) [5],[9],[12] o una pérdida de solventes entre 25 y 50 % [11]. Que genera dificultades en el control de construcción de mezclas asfálticas fabricadas con el CA, se requiere investigación adicional para generar criterios y recomendaciones técnicas al respecto
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