Research on the evolution law of aggregate micro-texture during long-term wearing of asphalt pavement

Abstract

The micro-texture of aggregates plays a very important role in anti-skid performance of asphalt pavement. Three kinds of aggregates, limestone, basalt and sandstone, were used to prepare asphalt mixture to study the evolution law of micro-texture of aggregates under long-term wear. One Third Scaled Model Mobile Load Simulator (MMLS) was used to conduct wear tests on asphalt mixtures under two working conditions: drying and water immersion. Laser confocal scanning microscopy (LCSM) was used to test and analyze the micro-texture evolution of the original aggregate, mixed aggregate, and accelerated loaded aggregate surfaces. The mechanism of texture evolution was analyzed based on the mineral composition, Vickers hardness, and micro-structure of the aggregate. The results show that wear can lead to varying degrees of polishing of the aggregate micro-texture, with limestone>basalt>sandstone, and the drying condition is more severe than the water immersion condition. The wear degree of the texture is closely related to the mineral composition and hardness of the aggregate. The more complex the mineral composition, the greater the hardness and hardness dispersion, the less likely the texture will be polished. The micro-texture indexes Ra and Rq have the highest correlation with anti-skid performance, and the relationship between them is obtained by fitting. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) shows that the fine particles in sandstone are easy to fall off, which is conducive to the regeneration of texture, and is also the internal reason for its best anti-skid durability.