Fatigue analysis of hot recycled asphalt mixtures with RAP incorporation

Abstract

Asphalt coatings are the most commonly used in paving services in Brazil, explained by the availability of material and the applicability of the technique. Throughout their service life, pavements are subject to traffic stresses that cause damage to the coating, most commonly fatigue cracking and permanent deformation. Thus, the need for new pavements and the need to perform rehabilitation services result in the generation of waste. Because of this, the allocation of this waste in the pavement was now performed more frequently, like this, and this research aimed to evaluate the fatigue life of hot recycled asphalt mixtures, with the incorporation of RAP (reclaimed asphalt pavement) at 25%, 45%, and 100% as a substitute for part of the materials. The dosing process, which occurred according to the Superpave specification, focused on the analysis of the mechanical behavior of the mixtures in aspects of strength, deformation, adhesion, and cohesion. The results indicated a good performance of the mixtures with proportionality in the values obtained with the incorporation of RAP. Because fatigue is associated with stiffness, mixtures with higher incorporations tended to have a shorter fatigue life. Above all, the results indicated a good mechanical performance, proving the feasibility of the technique in paving works.