Abstract
To improve the antifreeze-thaw performance of asphalt pavement in the seasonal freezing regions, the temperature and the time of freeze-thaw test were redesigned based on the climatic characteristics of the regions, and the splitting tensile strength tests were carried out to determine the low-temperature performance of the asphalt mixture under the influence of the gradation and the asphalt-aggregate ratio. A mathematical model was built to investigate the freeze-thaw damage law. According to the test results of splitting tensile strength of the asphalt mixture under freeze-thaw cycles, the probabilistic damage variable of the asphalt mixture was redefined and a physical probability model was built to analyse the freeze-thaw damage. Based on the freeze-thaw damage development process and the mechanism of the asphalt mixture, the effective measures to improve the antifreeze-thaw performance were provided and demonstrated through the correlations among the damage parameters (the shape parameter α, the scale factor λ, and the gradient factor ν) and the freeze-thaw resistance of the asphalt mixture. The test results showed that the splitting tensile strength decreased with the increase of the number of the freeze-thaw cycles. With the same gradation, the splitting freeze-thaw damage degree of the asphalt mixture with 5.8% asphalt-aggregate ratio is about 6% less than others after the 18th freeze-thaw cycle. The freeze-thaw resistance increases with the asphalt-aggregate ratio. With the same asphalt-aggregate ratio, the splitting freeze-thaw damage degree of S-grade mixtures is about 11.8% higher than that of Z-grade mixtures. S-grade mixtures have positive effects on the freeze-thaw resistance. The results suggest new measures for further investigation on the design and maintenance of the asphalt mixture in the seasonal freezing regions.
Highlights
Asphalt pavements are widely used in China’s highway constructions due to the advantages, such as the high driving comfort and the low noise
An asphalt mixture is generally considered to be a complex porous material which includes the asphalt, the aggregates, and the fillers, as well as the large number of voids. e freeze-thaw damage of the asphalt pavement can be caused by low temperature and moisture, which is very unfavorable to the construction of highways in the seasonal freezing regions. e seasonal freezing regions spread over 10 provinces of China and distribute in large areas across the territory. e civil infrastructures are faced with the problems of damage and freeze-thaw resistance of the asphalt mixture, which are acknowledged the critical issues worldwide [1,2,3]
Researchers have studied the freeze-thaw damage development mechanism of the asphalt mixture and revealed the simultaneous effects of the water flow, the deicing salt and the calcium acetate on asphalt concrete deterioration under freeze-thaw cycles [4,5,6,7]. e results showed that the freeze-thaw cycles and the low temperature had obvious impact on the compressive properties of the mixture in cold plateau regions [8]. e durability of the concrete with fly Advances in Civil Engineering ash as fine aggregate under the freeze-thaw cycles has been discussed, providing the theoretical reference and basis for the analysis of concrete durability in the multifactor environment [9]
Summary
Asphalt pavements are widely used in China’s highway constructions due to the advantages, such as the high driving comfort and the low noise. In the research on the freeze-thaw resistance of the asphalt mixtures, the dynamic nondestructive test has been employed to evaluate the antifreeze-thaw performance of the asphalt mixtures. It was found that the rubber asphalt mixture had better antifreeze-thaw performance than the neat asphalt mixture; the particle size of rubber powder showed an impact on the freeze-thaw performance of the asphalt mixture [17,18,19] In recent years, it has been observed the polyester fiber content can exert an effect on the air voids and low-temperature performance [20]. Few studies suggested methods to improve the antifreeze-thaw performance, which were influenced by the character of the mixture, such as the gradation, the asphalt-aggregate ratio, and the specific damage-development paths. Weibull distribution model was employed to conduct the probabilistic damage analysis and the development characteristics analysis of the freeze-thaw damage which was affected by the gradation and the asphaltaggregate ratio. e effective methods to improve antifreezethaw performance for different types of asphalt mixtures were provided and demonstrated through the freeze-thaw damage process. is paper can be used as a reference for further investigation on the design and maintenance of the asphalt mixture in seasonal freezing regions
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