Use of Banana Natural Fiber as a Stabilizing Additive in Open Graded Friction Course

Abstract

AbstractOpen graded friction courses (OGFC) are special-purpose asphalt mixes with a porous structure (percentage air voids usually in the range of 18–25%) and are used to quickly remove the rain water from the pavement surface. A porous asphalt mix structure is typically designed utilizing a higher fraction of coarse aggregates and a low fine/filler content. An open asphalt mix structure is however prone to asphalt binder draindown under gravity during production, storage, and transportation of the OGFC mixes. Synthetic and organic fibers are generally used as stabilizing additives in OGFC mixes to alleviate the binder draindown and the abrasion loss. Synthetic fibers (e.g. polypropylene and polyester fibers) are widely used as stabilizing additive but are costly. In this study, natural fiber derived from the banana plant waste is evaluated for use as a stabilizing additive in OGFC mixes. Banana fiber is extracted from the bast/pseudo-stem of the banana plant dumped as waste after harvesting. The main aim of this study is to investigate the draindown and abrasion loss characteristics of OGFC mixes fabricated using variable length and dosages of natural banana fiber as stabilizing additive. One aggregate gradation and a polymer modified binder were used to fabricate the OGFC mixes. A total of twenty-seven combinations of OGFC mixes were evaluated accommodating three bitumen dosages, three fiber lengths, and three contents of banana fiber. Results showed that both the length and dosage of banana fiber had a significant effect on the draindown and abrasion loss characteristics.KeywordsNatural fiberBanana fiberOGFC mixDraindownAbrasion loss