Evaluation of Fracture Toughness of Semirigid Asphalt Concretes at Low Temperatures

Abstract

The fracture characteristics of semirigid asphalt concrete (SRAC) prepared from a highly porous asphalt mixture (matrix) with 18% to 22% air voids and cement paste were evaluated. Two asphalt binders and several polymer-modified cement pastes that were grouted into the porous matrix were used. The SRAC beam specimen was prepared, and an initial notch was made by cutting with a saw at the bottom center of each beam for the static three-point bending (3PB) test at low temperatures (10°C, 0°C, and −10°C). Fracture toughness (K_IC) was calculated with 3PB test data to examine the fracture resistance of the SRAC. The two SRAC binders, a normal asphalt (PG 64-22) and a polymer-modified asphalt (PG 76-22), exhibited significant differences in K_IC values within the temperature and the paste type. The SRAC using PG 76-22 showed K_IC values 17% higher than the SRAC using PG 64-22 at −10°C. Therefore, the SRAC using PG 76-22 binder is expected to have better low-temperature fracture resistance than the SRAC using PG 64-22 binder in the region where the low temperature commonly reaches −10°C.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Baek

S. H.

Fracture Toughness of Semi-Rigid Asphalt Concrete. PhD dissertation. Kangwon National University, South Korea, 2010.

El Hussein

, Kim

K.W.

, and Phonia

Assessment of Localized Damage Associated with Exposure to Extreme Low Temperature. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, Vol. 10, No. 4, 1998, pp. 269–274.

Kim

K.W.

, and El Hussein

Variation of Fracture Toughness of Asphalt Concrete Under Low Temperatures. Construction and Building Materials, Vol. 11, No. 7–8, 1997, p. 12.

Kim

K.W.

, and Hussein

M. El

. Effect of Differential Thermal Contraction on Fracture Toughness of Asphalt Materials at Low Temperatures. Journal of the Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists, Vol. 66, 1995, pp. 474–499.

Kim

K.W.

, Kweon

S.J.

, Doh

Y.S.

, and Park

T. S.

Fracture Toughness of Polymer-Modified Asphalt Concrete at Low Temperatures. Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, Vol. 30, No. 2, 2003, pp. 406–413.

Hao

P.W.

, Cheng

, and Lin

Pavement Performance of Semi-Flexible Pavement in Laboratory. Journal of Xian Highway University, Vol. 2003, No. 2, Feb. 2003, pp. 1–6.

Griffith

A. A.

The Phenomenon of Rupture and Flow in Solids. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, Vol. A221, 1920, pp. 98–163.

Hertzberg

R. W.

Deformation and Fracture Mechanics of Engineering Materials, 4th ed. John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1996.

Kim

K.W.

, Kwon

S.Z.

, Doh

Y.S.

, and Li

X. F.

Evaluation of Poisson's Ratio of Polymer-Modified Asphalt Concretes. Journal of Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers, Vol. 41, No. 5, 1999, pp. 104–111.

10.

Karihalroo

B.L.

, and Nallathambi

An Improved Effective Crack Model for the Determination of Fracture Toughness of Concrete. Cement and Concrete Research, Vol. 19, 1989, pp. 603–610.

11.

Karihalroo

B.L.

, and Nallathambi

Effective Crack Model for the Determination of Fracture Toughness (K_IC) of Concrete. Engineering Fracture Mechanics, Vol. 35, No. 4–5, 1990, pp. 637–645.

12.

Brown

W.F.

, and Srawley

J. E.

STP 410: Plane Strain Crack Toughness Testing of High Strength Metallic Materials. ASTM, West Conshohocken, Pa., 1966.

13.

Committee 89-FMT RILEM. Fracture Mechanics Test Methods for Concrete. Research Report No. 80-2. Chapman Hall, London, 1991, pp. 1–86.

14.

Timoshenko

S.P.

, and Goodier

J. N.

Theory of Elasticity, 3rd ed. McGraw-Hill, New York, 1970.

15.

Kwon

S. Z.

Fracture Behavior of Polymer-Modified Bituminous Concrete at Low Temperatures. PhD dissertation. Kangwon National University, South Korea, 1999.