Study on Early Adhesive Characteristic of Chip Seals Using a Surface Energy Approach

Abstract

PURPOSES : The objective of this study is to evaluate the early adhesive characteristic of asphalt emulsions, including polymer-modified emulsions, for chip seals using the surface energy concept, the bitumen bond strength (BBS) test, and the Vialit test. METHODS : Two general methods, the BBS test and Vialit test, were applied to investigate the bond strength and the aggregate loss, respectively. A new theory, the surface free energy (SFE) theory, was used to evaluate the adhesive characteristic between the emulsion and the aggregate. Based on the theory, the contact angles were measured, and then the surface energy components were calculated. Using those components, the work of adhesion (Wa) was calculated for each emulsion. To ensure reliable results, all the tests were performed under the same conditions, i.e., at for 240 minutes of curing time. For the materials, three emulsions (CRS-2, CRS-2L, and CRS-2P) and one aggregate type (granite) were employed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS : Under the same conditions, the modified emulsions showed better adhesive characteristics and curing behaviors than the unmodified emulsions. In addition, there was no significant difference between the various modified emulsions. One of the important findings is that the analysis by Wa presents more sensitive results than other methods. The results of the Wa showed that the CRS-2P emulsion has the best adhesive characteristics. Consequently, the use of modified emulsions for chip seals could prevent aggregate loss and allow open traffic earlier.