Influence of Natural Fibers as Additive on Characteristics of Stone Mastic Asphalt

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to emphasize on the development of stabilized Stone Mastic Asphalt Mix for laudable and tangible pavement performance. Attempts have been made to stabilize SMA Mix using synthetic fibers which is too costly and not readily available. The concept of using natural fibers and waste materials to replace these energy intensive synthetic fibers or polymer additives is a recent development in this field. India, being an agricultural economy, produces fairly huge quantity of natural fibers such as coconut, sisal, banana, sugar cane, jute etc. The addition of these natural fibers as additives to SMA has really thrust a revolutionary change to the transport system. This research is an attempt to propose an ideal surface course for the pavement of India using natural fibers stabilized SMA that can face rough weather conditions and more loads. Analyzing the illustrated results of the comparative study on the performance of the stabilized mixtures it is inferred that additive plays a prominent role in the volumetric, mechanical and drain down characteristics of SMA. Improved Marshall Quotient and Marshall Stability value show higher rutting resistance and improved tensile strength shows better Cracking Resistance. This study brings out the importance of additives in SMA and proposes an eco-friendly alternative to Synthetic fibers.