Abstract
Porous asphalt concrete (PAC) is an open-graded friction course that is specifically designed to have high air void contents for removing water from the pavement surface. PAC surfaces, which include open-graded friction courses, permeable friction courses, and drainage asphalt pavements, have increasingly gained acceptance among agencies and industry in the world. PAC might be susceptible to freeze-thaw damage in cold climates and require winter maintenance practices. The life span of PAC pavements shows a large variation depending on climates, traffic volumes and loadings, design and construction practices. The objective of this paper was to review design, construction, and performance that could maximize the advantages and minimize the disadvantages associated with the use of PAC mixtures. A consolidated review of the worldwide literature on PAC applications was conducted, with attention to the use of PAC in agency practices, and specifications for PAC from the world were evaluated. Based on an analysis of the results of this review, two key features were emphasized: (1) a recommended practice for material selection and design of PAC, and (2) a recommended practice for PAC construction and maintenance. Key points include a careful assessment of the PAC drainage and an adequate asphalt content to improve the performance of the pavement surface. A proper binder content stabilized by additives such as fibers and polymers is essential to ensure sufficient film thickness that is critical to the durability of the PAC mix in the long run.
Highlights
Porous asphalt concrete (PAC) is an open-grade material with interconnecting voids that allow water to flow freely the material to a binder course
Porous asphalt concrete (PAC), open-graded friction courses (OGFC), drainage asphalt pavements, or porous friction courses are special asphalt mixtures characterized by a large content of interconnected air voids [2,4,5,10,11]
Benefits related to PAC pavements include reduced splash/spray, improved wet weather frictional properties, reduced traffic noise, Table 1 Differences in PAC and OGFC layers [4,5,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24]
Summary
Porous asphalt concrete (PAC) is an open-grade material with interconnecting voids that allow water to flow freely the material to a binder course. The use of PAC mixes to remove water from the surface provides good contact between tires and the pavement surface, minimizing the potential for accidents and fatalities during rainy weather, and, at the same time, reducing traffic noise levels. Because of these benefits, PAC surfaces have gradually gained acceptance around the world [5,6,7,8,9]. The main purpose of this paper was to assemble and present the current knowledge about the benefits, design, construction, performance and maintenance of PAC pavements in comparison with those of conventional asphalt pavements
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