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.
Integrated experimental-numerical approach to model progressive moisture damage behavior of bituminous paving mixtures
This paper presents an integrated experimental–numerical approach to model the progressive moisture damage characteristics of bituminous paving mixtures. To this end, a Fickian model is utilized to determine the diffusion coefficient, which is a key property of simulating moisture transport causing moisture damage, and the semicircular bend (SCB) fracture tests are carried out to obtain the elastic stiffness and fracture properties at different levels of moisture conditioning. A sequentially coupled moisture diffusion and mechanical loading is implemented using a finite element method to model the progressive damage behavior due to the moisture transport followed by the mechanical loading. To simulate the fracture process as a gradual separation, a cohesive zone model is incorporated into the model. The integrated approach presented herein results in a degradation function that characterizes the progressive damage due to moisture uptake with two model parameters representing the remaining properties of ma...
Prediction of a representative point for rail temperature measurement by considering longitudinal deformation
Monitoring rail temperature is very important for determining the safe running speed of trains and to prevent buckling. In general, the maximum variation of the internal rail temperature can be >7 ℃ depending on the point of measurement. However, there is as yet no sufficient information about how to predict the measurement point to represent the thermal deformation due to temperature distribution. In this study, the authors report a new point, called the representative measurement point, at which the rail temperature can be measured. This point considers the average deformation of the rail through structural analysis by adopting experimental and actual rail temperature data. The authors designed and installed a measurement system similar to an actual rail environment. Using the system, various data were acquired (internal/surface rail temperature and weather data) for 10 months. On the basis of these data, an analysis was done to calculate the average deformation point through thermal analysis. Finally, the representative measurement point was proposed as the position at which the average deformation point converges regardless of weather or seasons. The authors believe that the method described herein is advantageous in that it could be used in a high-accuracy temperature-monitoring system and for predicting thermal deformation and buckling.