Laboratory characterization of porous asphalt mixtures with aramid fibers

Abstract

Recent studies have shown that fibers improve the performance of porous asphalt mixtures. In this study, the influence of four different fibers, (a) regular aramid fiber (RegAR), (b) aramid fiber with latex coating (ARLat), (c) aramid fiber with polyurethane coating (ARPoly), (d) aramid fiber of length 12 mm (AR12) was evaluated on abrasion resistance and toughness of the mixtures. The functional performance was estimated using permeability tests and the mechanical performance was evaluated using the Cantabro test and indirect tensile strength tests. The parameters such as fracture energy, post cracking energy, and toughness were obtained through stress-strain plots. Based on the analysis of results, it was concluded that the addition of ARLat fibers enhanced the abrasion resistance of the mixtures. In terms of ITS, ARPoly and RegAR have positively influenced mixtures under dry conditions. However, the mixtures with all aramid fibers were found to have adverse effects on the ITS under wet conditions and energy parameters of porous asphalt mixtures with the traditional percentages of bitumen in the mixture used in Spain (i.e., approximately 4.5%).