INNOVATIVE TESTS TO PREDICT THE STRENGTH AND TYPE OF ASPHALT-AGGREGATE BONDS

ABSTRACT

This paper discusses two techniques to characterize the type and measure the strength of asphalt-aggregate bonds. The Modified Lottman Test is commonly used to measure the physical strength of asphalt-aggregate bonds. Under certain conditions bonds may become weak due to chemical factors that are not accounted for in the Modified Lottman Test. In order to measure the chemical strength of the bond, a chemical preconditioning stage was introduced prior to performing the Modified Lottman Test. During this stage a compacted mix pill was exposed to an environment that was rich in either OH^?- or H^plus; ions. Such high or low pH conditions affect bonding reactions that are reversible in nature, and thereby expose the chemical weakness of the bond. Results show that different antistrip agents react differently to such conditions. The paper also discusses the effect of mix curing on bond strength under these limiting pH conditions. The other technique discussed in this paper, U a test that characterizes different aggregates in terms of their reactivity with aspnaltic components, which subsequently helps identify those aggregates that would form strong bonds with asphalt. It was observed that even within limestones aggregates, different types reacted to a different extent, and thereby, could be easily characterized