Abstract
Selected results and initiatives in modern asphalt pavement research for increasing service life of asphalt pavements under the aspect of sustainability and multifunctional use of roads are summarized. Focus lies on innovative approaches and own experience, jointly elaborated during the last decades within the road engineering/sealing components lab at Empa and both the highway/railways engineering and building materials group at KTH. This includes material concepts and design as well as pavement system and construction aspects from an experimental and modelling point of view. It includes also the application of powerful experimental and computational tools, such as Atomic-Force-Microscopy (AFM), X-Ray-Computer-Tomography (CT), Digital-Imaging-Correlation (DIC) and Discrete-Element-Method (DEM). As for materials, recycling issues and the use of Phase-Change-Materials (PCM) or metallic ingredients for inductive thermal crack healing are addressed. In order to remind that material design must also account for the workability during the process of compaction, the new Compaction-Flow-Test (CFT) developed at KTH is shortly presented. Innovative ideas for structural material composition are also mentioned, such as “artificial aggregates” or “additive manufacturing”, being aware that there is still a long way to go. Regarding pavement systems, ideas for multifunctional road applications are proposed. Focus is also put on special issues, such as construction joints.
Highlights
Asphalt pavement technology has experienced dynamic progress in the last decades from both a technical and scientific point of view
On the other hand it has led to a leap forward towards in‐depth understanding of the chemo‐physical and mechanical behavior of bituminous road materials, turning asphalt research from a mainly phenomenological experience driven low tech to a scientifically demanding and innovation boosting “high‐tech” subject
Some of these activities are closely linked to the work within different international technical committees of the International Union of Laboratories and Experts in Construction Materials, Systems and Structures (Rilem), e.g. [1, 4,5,6], and the International Society for Asphalt Pavements (ISAP) with its technical committee Asphalt Pavement and Environment (ISAP TC APE), e.g. [7]
Summary
Asphalt pavement technology has experienced dynamic progress in the last decades from both a technical and scientific point of view. The main overall motivation for the above mentioned research initiatives at Empa and KTH was to improve service life of asphalt materials and roads, always keeping in mind the positive properties of asphalt in terms of recyclability and the generally accepted fact that durability is the most important factor for fulfilling sustainability requirements This durability is considerably influenced by mechanical loading conditions, which may create rutting or fatigue, thermal and compaction induced cracking, and by long‐term environmental effects, such as oxidative aging of bitumen due to permanent exposure to air, UV solar radiation and water penetrating into the asphalt either through diffusion or direct infiltration into pores or existing cracks. These differences were partly attributed to material deficiencies due to plant production as well as in‐field construction issues, such as compaction and temperature inhomogeneities
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