Abstract
Moisture damage in asphalt mixtures is a complex phenomenon that involves mechanical, chemical, physical and thermodynamic processes. This damage contributes significantly to the premature deterioration of asphalt pavements, which leads to extra cost in highway maintenance and vehicle operations. One key mechanism of how moisture reaches the asphalt-aggregate interface is by its permeation or diffusion through the asphalt binder or mastic. For the asphalt-water system studied, the Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) – Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR) spectrometry was used. Water shows strong absorption in the infrared region and the FTIR-ATR technique has the ability to monitor both the kinetics of moisture ingress as well as any chemical changes occurring during the test. This paper has the literature review and some results obtained in the comparison between water diffusion in the liquid state with the moisture (or vapor) state, both at room temperature.KEYWORDS: Asphalt Mixtures, Moisture Damage, Diffusion, Spectroscopy
Highlights
AND BACKGROUNDThere are three potential ways by which moisture can reach the asphalt-aggregate interface: (i) defect on asphalt coating, (ii) residual moisture present into the aggregates, and (iii) diffusion through the asphalt/mastic (Figure 1)
Moisture transport through an asphalt mixture is an integral part of the moisture damage mechanism
Moisture damage in an asphalt mixture is a complex process that represents the cumulative effect of moisture transport processes and moisture deterioration processes
Summary
AND BACKGROUNDThere are three potential ways by which moisture can reach the asphalt-aggregate interface: (i) defect on asphalt coating, (ii) residual moisture present into the aggregates, and (iii) diffusion through the asphalt/mastic (Figure 1). The influence of the physical state of water in the diffusion measurements has yet to be analyzed in more detail. The three diagrams below (Figure 2) illustrate the distinct arrangement patterns of water molecules as they change their physical state from ice to water to gas. Water molecules arrange themselves into small groups of joined particles. The fact that these arrangements are small allows liquid water to move and flow. Water molecules in the form of a gas are highly energized. This high energy state sets the molecules in continuous movement reducing the likelihood of the formation of bonds between
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