Moisture Sensitivity of Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) Mixtures in Nebraska - Phase II
As a consequential effort to the previous NDOR research project (P-564) on moisture damage, this report presents outcomes from this project incorporated with the previous project. Performance changes and fundamental material characteristics associated with moisture damage due to various anti-stripping additives in asphalt mixtures are studied through various experimental approaches and a numerical simulation. Three additives (i.e., one reference additive, hydrated lime, and two alternative additives: fly ash and cement) are investigated by adding them into two types of mixes (SP2 for low-traffic-volume roadways and SP5 for high-traffic- volume roadways) where two different asphalt binders (PG 64-22 for the SP2 mix and PG 70-28 for the SP5) are used. Two asphalt concrete mixture scale performance tests, the AASHTO T-283 and the APA under water, and two local-scale mixture constituent tests, the boiling water test (ASTM D 3625) and the pull-off test, are conducted to characterize the effects of binder-specific anti-stripping additives on the binder-aggregate bonding potential in mixtures. The pull-off tensile strength tests are then numerically modeled through the finite element technique incorporated with the cohesive zone modeling approach to seek more fundamental scientific insights into the effect of each anti-stripping additive on the overall moisture damage resistance. Results from laboratory tests and numerical simulations indicate that the SP5 mixtures, where high-quality aggregates and polymer-modified binder are used, are fairly self-resistant to moisture damage without treating any anti-stripping additive and do not show any visible sensitivity among additives, whereas the effects of additives and their sensitivity are significant in the SP2 mixes that use the unmodified binder PG 64-22 and low-quality aggregates. With the limited amount of test data, hydrated lime seems to perform slightly better than other additives, particularly with longer moisture-conditioning time. Fly ash contributes to reducing moisture damage by improving binder-aggregate interfacial properties, which are validated from the integrated experimental-computational evaluation.
Experimental Evaluation of Anti-stripping Additives in Bituminous Mixtures through Multiple Scale Laboratory Test Results
Abstract This paper presents performance changes and material characteristics associated with moisture damage due to anti-stripping additives in asphalt mixtures through various laboratory tests. Two additives (hydrated lime and fly ash) are investigated by adding them into two types of mixes where different asphalt binders and aggregates are used. Two widely-used asphalt concrete mixture performance tests (the AASHTO T-283 and the asphalt pavement analyzer under water) and two mixture constituent tests (the boiling water test and the pull-off tensile strength test) are conducted to characterize the effects of anti-stripping additives on the binder–aggregate bonding potential in mixtures. Results from laboratory tests indicate that the mixes, where high-quality aggregates and polymer-modified binder are used, are fairly self-resistant to moisture damage without treating any anti-stripping additive and do not show any visible sensitivity between additives, whereas the effects of additives and their sensitivity are significant in the mixes that use the unmodified binder and low-quality aggregates. With the limited amount of test data, both hydrated lime and fly ash contribute to reducing moisture damage, which implies potential significant cost savings by the use of fly ash as an alternative additive.
Chemosymbiotic bivalves and stable carbon isotopes indicate hydrocarbon seepage at four unusual Cenozoic fossil localities
Four unusual Cenozoic fossil localities are identified here as ancient hydrocarbon seep sites using palaeontological, petrological, and stable carbon isotope data. Late Eocene carbonate-cemented sandstone bodies in the Wagonwheel Mountains in California were previously suspected to represent ancient hydrocarbon seep sites, but the relatively high δ13Ccarbonate values (−12.2 to −5.0‰) suggest oil rather than methane seepage. The Oligocene fauna of the Elmira asphalt mine, Cuba, was previously interpreted as a mix of freshwater and marine taxa, but all species are here identified as belonging to marine groups, including the bivalve families Lucinidae and Vesicomyidae, whose extant members live largely in symbiosis with chemoautotrophic endosymbionts. A carbonate concretion from this site showed δ13Ccarbonate values as low as −32.2‰, which most likely indicates methane seepage. A previously unpublished Oligocene fossil locality in Atlantico, northern Colombia, is dominated by large solemyid, mytilid, lucinid, and vesicomyid bivalves, which most likely lived with chemotrophic endosymbionts. Seepage of biogenic methane without a significant contribution of thermogenic methane is indicated by δ13Ccarbonate values as low as −51.3‰. We confirm that the Pleurophopsis-dominated sites of the Heath Shale and Lomitos Chert in northern Peru are ancient seep sites, although the previous identification of Pleurophopsis peruviana as a vesicomyid is doubtful.