Fatigue Performance Evaluation of Fiber-Reinforced Asphalt Mixtures with Four-Point Bending Beam and Uniaxial Fatigue Tests

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the fatigue cracking potential of aramid fiber–reinforced asphalt mixtures. Three fiber-reinforced asphalt mixtures (FRAMs) were prepared employing a singular aggregate type (diabase stone), one binder type (PG76-22), and two distinct combinations of aramid fibers at varying dosages. Two types of fiber were used at different dosages by weight of mix: polyolefin/aramid (PFA) fibers at a dosage 0.05% and sasobit-coated aramid (SCA) fibers at dosages of 0.01% and 0.02%. Additionally, an unreinforced (control) mix was also produced for comparison purposes. Each of the mixtures was produced at a batch plant, adhering to the fiber manufacturer’s recommended mixing methods, while maintaining a constant binder content of 5.5% based on the total mix weight. Four-point beam (4PB) fatigue, uniaxial fatigue (UF), and Texas overlay tests (OT) were performed to characterize the fatigue and reflective cracking behavior of FRAM. The 4PB test results suggest that FRAM improved the fatigue life at lower strain levels (400 µε and 600 µε); however, at higher microstrain (800 µε) level, FRAM exhibited lower fatigue life than the control mix. Damage characteristic curves obtained from the UF tests showed better fatigue tolerance for reinforced mixtures, regardless of microstrain level. For cycles to failure under tensile loading, UF and OT test results indicated lower fatigue life of reinforced mixtures compared with the control mix. Therefore, under flexural loading the fiber-reinforced asphalt mixtures tend to improve the fatigue life. However, for direct tension load, reinforced mixtures tend to deteriorate the fatigue life when comparing cycles to failure at constant strain amplitude.