Optimisation of hot mix asphalt performance based on aggregate selection

Researchers over the last four decades have identified and demonstrated the effects of aggregate morphological properties (particularly shape, size distribution, angularity and texture) on the mechanical properties of hot mix asphalt (HMA). Rare studies, however, have clearly established the relationships between the aggregate properties and pavement performance. Therefore, they have not provided methods to optimise aggregate properties at the design stage to improve that performance. This study focuses on understanding the effects of aggregate gradation and type on moisture damage resistance of HMA and on pavement performance as indicated by stiffness and rutting. Results show that basalt aggregate achieves higher moisture susceptibility resistance and stiffness than limestone aggregate. Coarser gradation has the highest permanent deformation, while open gradation 2C provides the lowest moisture damage resistance. Furthermore, dense gradation 4C provides the lowest rutting and the highest stripping resistance. It is indicated that suitable selection of aggregate type and gradation can improve pavement performance and reduce the moisture damage problem of HMA.     

Effects of high friction aggregate and PG Plus binder on rutting resistance of hot mix asphalt mixtures

The rutting resistance of hot mix asphalt (HMA) Superpave? mixes in surface course materials was investigated using asphalt material characterisation tests and a digital imaging processing (DIP) technique. The effects of the type of aggregate, the type of binder and the binder content on rutting resistance were quantified. Two types of aggregate were examined: Superpave? SP12.5 and high friction SP12.5 FC2. Both a modified (PG Plus) and an unmodified binders were considered at the optimum binder content and the optimum content plus an additional 0.5%. To accurately identify the effect of each variable, the shear upheave of these mixes was also quantified. The DIP technique involved estimating the number of aggregate contacts, the total contact length and internal structure index of two-dimensional images of the experimentally tested samples. The results showed that both the rutting resistance and stiffness of HMA surface mixes were sensitive to aggregate type, binder type and binder content. A high friction aggregate provided a better internal structure characteristic, as well as superior rutting resistance and stiffness for HMA mixes. The use of PG Plus and the addition of 0.5% to the optimum binder content negatively affected HMA stiffness and rutting resistance. However, the levels of rutting resistance for all mixes were acceptable (rut depth < 12.5 mm), even when the shear upheave was considered. Internal structure indices measured by DIP were effective for capturing changes in the internal HMA structure with respect to aggregate type and asphalt cement content.     

Fatigue resistance potential for hot mix asphalt using viscoelastic continuum damage analysis

This paper describes testing and evaluation of the fatigue resistance potential of hot‐mix asphalt mixtures using viscoelastic continuum damage analysis, which is based on dynamic modulus determination, a state‐variable approach and damage calculation. The dynamic modulus test for stiffness characterization and the direct tension test for fatigue resistance characterization were used in the testing procedure. The state‐variable approach can be used for numerical computation of a viscoelastic convolution integral. A Nelder–Mead simplex search was used in this study to determine the damage parameter of a stiffness reduction function. The fatigue resistance was evaluated as a function of loading rate, asphalt binder content, modifier (e.g. usage of hydrated lime), and temperature, and was found experimentally to have a strong dependence on these factors.     

Numerical computation in the viscoelastoplastic continuum damage of hot mix asphalt concrete

The objective of this paper is to develop an accurate and advanced material characterization of hot mix asphalt concrete using an existing viscoelastoplastic constitutive model that accounts for rate of loading, temperature and stress state with growing damage. The modelling strategy of viscoelastoplastic continuum damage is based on modelling strain components separately and then combining the resulting models to obtain a final integrated viscoelastoplastic model. According to this model, the initial-boundary value problem is numerically solved using the constitutive relationship expressed in the convolution integral form. The model is successful in predicting responses up to localization when microcracks start to coalesce.     

Using the surface free energy method to evaluate the effects of liquid antistrip additives on moisture sensitivity in hot mix asphalt

The objectives of this research are to evaluate the susceptibility of aggregates and asphalt binder with and without liquid antistrip (LAA) additives to moisture damage based on the properties that affect the adhesion bond between the aggregate and asphalt binder and the cohesion strength of the asphalt binder using the surface free energy (SFE) concept and laboratory testing. The percentage of the aggregate surface area that was exposed to water (P) due to each cycle was used as a screening parameter for evaluating the compatibility of the asphalt binder and aggregates in terms of the resistance to moisture damage. The results show that adding LAA causes the total SFE of the asphalt binder to increase, which results in a decrease in stripping between the aggregate and asphalt binder in the presence of water. Similar results were obtained from a dynamic modulus test. From the data obtained, we conclude that LAA caused a reduction of the magnitude of P that improves its resistance to moisture damage.     

Fatigue behaviour of dry or partially saturated hot mix asphalt (HMA)

This paper analyses the water, the degree of saturation, and the void content effects on the fatigue behaviour of hot mix asphalt (HMA) samples mixed in the laboratory. Some results on stiffness are also given. Fatigue characterization was carried out through a uniaxial tension‐compression (T‐C) test performed in a controlled‐strain mode, at 10°C and 10 Hz, on cylindrical samples. Our results show that the stiffness is not significantly affected by the water. This finding could be attributed to the short period of immersion of samples in water, low testing temperature, low void content of tested samples, and high viscosity of bitumen used. Furthermore, the fatigue resistance of HMA partially saturated with water (PSW) is lower than the one obtained for dry materials.     

Field performance of top-down fatigue cracking for warm mix asphalt pavements

As a result of repeated rehabilitation efforts over the past few decades, often asphalt pavements have become deep-strength pavements. Consequently, top-down cracking has become a primary distress type. In particular, the top-down cracking performance of warm mix asphalt (WMA) pavements, i.e. how does it compare with similar hot mix asphalt (HMA) pavements is largely unclear mainly due to the lack of field performance data. This paper presents an effort of monitoring the top-down cracking performance of 28 pavement projects including WMA pavements and their corresponding HMA control pavements with service lives ranging between 4 and 10 years. These pavements cover different climate zones, WMA technologies, service years, pavement structures and traffic volume levels. Two rounds of distress surveys were conducted at a two-year interval, and the material (asphalt binder and mixture) properties of the pavements were determined using field cores. The top-down cracking performance of the HMA and WMA pavements was compared based on the first and second round distress surveys. It was found that the HMA and WMA pavement in general exhibited comparable performance. The significant determinants (material properties) for top-down cracking were determined, which were vertical failure deformation of mixes measured at 20 °C from indirect tension test.     

The effect of aggregate gradation on creep and moisture susceptibility performance of warm mix asphalt

It is clear that the purpose of mixture design is to select optimum asphalt content for a desired aggregate structure to meet the prescribed criteria. Aggregate makes up high proportion of volume and mass of mixtures; hence, it is considered as an important constituent of asphalt concrete. This study postulates that the gradation is an important characteristic of the aggregate in adoption of the optimum mixture. One aggregate source, three gradations and different percentages of Sasobit^® was used to manufacture hot mix asphalt and warm mix asphalt. The test results indicated that the aggregate gradation affects the rutting resistance and especially the moisture susceptibility of the introduced mixtures, differently. Rutting resistance was evaluated using the flow number parameter, and in order to determine the moisture sensitivity mechanism, a mechanical and visual inspection tests were carried out. At the end, it is concluded that the optimum aggregate gradation for these two types of mixtures is different.     

Fatigue resistance investigation of warm‐mix recycled asphalt binder,mastic, and fine aggregate matrix

Fatigue cracking is one of the primary distresses in warm‐mix recycled asphalt pavements. This paper evaluates the fatigue resistance evolution of warm‐mix recycled asphalt materials in different scales during the service period. The strain sweep test and time sweep test were performed, respectively, by dynamic shear rheometer to determine the linear viscoelastic limits and to characterize the fatigue behavior of warm‐mix recycled asphalt binder, mastic, and fine aggregate matrix with different ageing levels and recycling plans. The dissipated energy method was used to define the failure criterion and to construct the fatigue model. Effects of ageing levels and recycling plans on stiffness and fatigue resistance were investigated. Performance correlations among warm‐mix recycled asphalt binder, mastic, and fine aggregate matrix were developed, respectively, by the statistical method to determine the critical material scale for stiffness and fatigue resistance.     

Evaluation of deformation properties of asphalt mixture using aggregate slip test

Asphalt mixture is a multiphase particulate material composed of aggregate, asphalt and filler. The deformation property of asphalt mixture is an external reflection of aggregate slip behaviour. To evaluate the high-temperature deformation properties of asphalt mixture, an aggregate slip device was developed and aggregate slip tests were conducted on five asphalt mixtures for different gradations under different test conditions. Four evaluation parameters, the slip failure load (F_s), the slip failure deformation (D_s), slip modulus parameter (M) and slip energy index (SEI), were obtained according to the load–displacement curves. The relationship between these parameters and rut depth (RD) was analysed. The effects of test temperature and asphalt content on slip resistance of asphalt mixture are studied in this research. The results indicate that the parameter F_s has limitations for large nominal maximum particle-size mixture, and SEI is an effective parameter to evaluate the aggregate slip properties for different nominal maximum particle-size asphalt mixtures. SEI has the strongest relationship to RD, which is the best parameter to evaluate the slip deformation behaviour of asphalt mixture. With the increase in asphalt content, SEI has a peak value and a valley value. When the optimum asphalt content is used in asphalt mixture, aggregate skeleton effect and asphalt cohesive force can both reach a high level, and asphalt mixture has the best deformation resistance.     

Three fringe photoelasticity - use of colour image processing hardware to automate ordering of isochromatics

The early application of digital image processing (DIP) technique to automate photoelastic analysis is based on black and white (B & W) image processing systems. The various methodologies reported can be traced to rely upon one or several features of a B &W DIP system. With the advancements in computer technology, nowadays colour image processing systems are available at affordable prices. A systematic study has been carried out on how to use the red green blue (RGB) value recorded using a colour image processing system for determining fringe orders up to 3 in a fringe field. The study has revealed that instead of directly using RGB values corresponding to a dark field image, if the difference of RGB values between bright anddarkfield images is used, the number of noise points is less. Experiments have been carried out for several arbitrary lines in a circular disk under diametral compression and the results are found to be good.     

Fracture toughness prediction using Weibull statistical method for asphalt mixtures containing different air void contents

Brittle fracture of asphalt mixtures at low temperatures is one of the main deterioration modes of pavements. Hence as an important design parameter, it is required that a reliable value for fracture toughness of asphalt mixtures is known. However, because of natural inhomogeneity of asphalt mixtures and inherent sources of scatters such as random distribution of ingredients and preparation process, the use of statistical analyses might provide better estimations for the crack growth resistance of asphalt mixtures. In this paper by conducting several low temperature fracture toughness experiments on three types of asphalt mixtures with different air void contents, the effects of air void percentage on mode I fracture toughness are studied statistically. Fifty six edge cracked semi-circular bend specimens containing 4, 5 and 7% air voids were tested, and the corresponding two and three-Weibull distribution parameters were determined for each set of data. It was shown that the Weibull model can be used successfully for predicting the statistical nature of tensile cracking phenomenon in asphalt mixtures. The mean fracture toughness values and the Weibull parameters were reduced by increasing the air void content. Furthermore, the distribution parameters obtained experimentally for the mixtures containing 4% and 5% voids were also predicted quite well in terms of the Weibull parameters of a reference mixture containing 7% air void.     

The characterisation of foamed asphalt cement using a rotational viscometer

Warm mix asphalt using foaming technology is a widely used alternative to traditional Hot Mix Asphalt in the USA. However, there has been relatively limited research exploring the behaviour of the foamed asphalt cement, especially using traditional asphalt cement testing equipment. This research used the rotational viscometer to develop four new metrics that quantify the behaviour of foamed asphalt cement. These four metrics showed that increasing the foaming temperature increased the observed viscosity, but the initial observed viscosity decreased with lower asphalt binder grades. However, the point at which the observed viscosity crossed the actual viscosity increased with lower asphalt binder grades. Overall, the Wirtgen foamer had higher observed viscosity vs. the PTI foamer and provided a more robust foaming material. However, it is recommended that the AccuFoamer also be explored in future research, along with comparing laboratory produced foamed asphalt cement with field produced foamed asphalt cement.     

基于原子力显微镜技术的沥青与矿料表面粗糙度及黏附特性

采用原子力显微镜技术(AFM)的轻敲和力曲线模式,在微观尺度下对沥青与矿料表面的二维图像和三维形貌信息进行采集和分析,并测试和计算表征材料物理黏结特性的表面能。测试和分析结果显示,不同油源的沥青具有明显不同的化学组分和表面粗糙度,具有蜂形结构的沥青表面粗糙度更大。老化将明显减少沥青的表面粗糙度,降低其表面能,进而对沥青与矿料的黏附产生不利影响。结合宏观的黏附拉拔力学试验,对沥青和矿料表面粗糙度、表面能与宏观拉拔强度间的关联进行统计分析。结果表明,对于含蜂形结构的沥青,沥青和矿料表面粗糙度对黏附力学性能较为重要;而对于不含蜂形结构的沥青,其与矿料的黏附性更决定于所选材料的表面能,即两种材料间的物理黏结作用。     

Digital image processing of crack growth using a modified caustic set-up

A digital image processing method to analyze the fringes of a modified caustic is described. The experiment is easy to perform and simple, and the image processing technique and detecting system can operate automatically, precisely, and quickly. Recording with two video cameras two sets of caustic images during crack growth, the computers process data with a specified fringe counting algorithm. We obtained two complete sets of data, one providing a full field view of the distribution of stress and the other providing the stress intensity factor.     

Estimation of optimum binder content of recycled asphalt incorporating a wax warm additive using response surface method

This paper presents a new approach to estimate the optimum binder content (OBC) of recycled asphalts (RAs) incorporating a warm mix additive based on the interaction effects of compaction temperature, RA content and binder content using volumetric and strength characterisation. The experimental design was developed using response surface method (RSM) based on central composite design for various compaction temperatures (130–160 °C), RA contents (30–50%) and binder contents (4.9–6.0%). Laboratory tests were performed and analysed to meet the desired volumetric and strength properties according to the Malaysian specifications for the design of dense asphalt mixtures. Statistical analysis and mathematical models proposed by RSM were used to determine the OBC. The results showed that compaction temperature is the most significant factor in determining the OBC. There are minimum differences in the OBC variation of samples incorporating different dosage of RA. The developed model can be used for quick estimation of OBC for various levels of compaction temperature and RA content.     

Speed estimation of vehicles approaching an intersection: a digital image processing method

Abstract

Most severe car accidents that occur in urban environments involve side impacts at street intersections, even at those regulated with traffic lights. Hence, it is very common to implement a small delay since one road changes to red until the other road changes to green. This delay is intended to avoid accidents in which a vehicle decides to go through the intersection after the sequence green–yellow–red is started, underestimating the time required to overtake the intersection. A better approach is to adjust the delay dynamically, depending on the speed of the vehicles approaching to the intersection. Using the dynamic approach, it is possible to improve traffic flow by reducing unnecessary delays, and to improve safety by applying longer delays when needed. This paper proposes a speed estimation method based on digital image processing of pictures taken with wireless cameras installed on top of existing traffic lights. The algorithm finds a vehicle in two consecutive images (either in day or night condition) and computes its speed by correlation. When a traffic light turns red, the systems estimates the speed of the cars approaching and decides to change the other road to green immediately, or to wait until it is safe to do so. The system was tested with real traffic flow at a street located in the city of Talavera de la Reina, Spain, with vehicles at different speeds. The image processing method proved to be accurate for this application, and adding the advantage of low cost equipment and easy installation results in a very attractive solution.     

基于数字图像处理的光切法槽深测量方法研究

在窄浅槽的深度测量方面，常用的测量方法受到很多的限制。对不锈钢管的电火花加工（EDM）的刻槽深度测量，提出了一种在光切法基础上采用电荷藕合器件图像传感器（CCD）获得不锈钢管表面和刻槽底部的图像，运用数字图像处理技术对图像进一步处理的刻槽深度测量方法。介绍了光切法的原理，并详细介绍了对所获得的数字图像进行处理的步骤。实际应用表明，该方法有较高的测量精度。     

采用TMS320C6203的实时图像处理系统设计

针对高帧频、大视场图像中的实时目标检测、识别和跟踪,设计了一种以TMS320C6203为核心运算处理器,FPGA为辅助控制处理器的实时图像处理系统。在对弱小目标检测识别算法的实验分析基础上,开发了实时图像处理软件,使得该系统对弱小多目标的检测、识别和跟踪的能力达到了实际工程的实时性需求。