Investigation of Usability of Brucite Fiber in Asphalt Mixture

Abstract

The objective of this study is to investigate the usability of brucite fiber in asphalt mixture. In order to compare the characteristics of brucite fiber with other fibers usually used in asphalt mixtures, the water absorption test, oven heating test, Mesh-basket draindown test, and scanning electron microscopy are conducted on brucite fiber, lignin fiber, basalt fiber, and polyester fiber. Also, the Marshall test, wheel tracking test, low temperature bending test, water sensitivity test, and fatigue test are used to evaluate the performance of different fiber-reinforced asphalt mixtures. These experimental results show that brucite fiber has a good state of preservation in the moist storage environment, and its thermo-stability is better than lignin fiber. Its absorption and adhesion of asphalt is better than basalt fiber and polyester fiber. The best performance of asphalt mixtures are obtained for 0.40% brucite fiber content. Asphalt mixture prepared with brucite fiber also has excellent high temperature stability, water sensitivity, and fatigue property, especially low temperature properties. Addition of brucite fiber is feasible to improve major performance properties of asphalt mixture.