Engineering Commons^™

Nebraska Balanced Mix Design – Phase I, Farzad Yazdipanah, Mahdieh Khedmati, Hamzeh Haghshenas

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Balanced mix design (BMD) is an alternative concept for designing asphalt mixtures that mainly focuses on performance of mixtures rather than only volumetric analysis. Using this concept, it would be possible to account for the incorporation of recycled asphalt mixtures, warm technology, polymers, rejuvenators, and other foreign additives, as well as external effective factors on the mix design such as environmental effects. This project sought to investigate performance-based methodologies for the asphalt mix design by taking a step to develop a preliminary Nebraska BMD framework. With that, selection of appropriate performance tests, finding a functional laboratory aging protocol, and defining …

Multiscale Evaluation Of The Effect Of Deicing Agents And Environmental Conditions On The Performance Of Asphalt Pavements In Cold Regions, Maryam Mihandoust

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

More than 70% of the United States' roadway network is located in regions subjected to severe winters, resulting in icy pavements that pose safety risks. Winter maintenance operations involving chloride-based deicers such as NaCl, CaCl2, and MgCl2 are essential for ensuring the safety, mobility, and functionality of roads. However, these deicers can lead to diminished pavement durability due to moisture-induced damage. This study examined the effects of these deicers on adhesion evolution and moisture-induced damage mechanisms of asphalt binder-aggregate systems at the macro-, centi-, micro-, and nanoscales. Macro-scale performance characteristics of PG 58-34 hot mix asphalt (HMA) specimens, including rutting, …

An Analysis Of The Effect Of Temperature On Asphalt Paving In South Dakota, S M Rahat Rashedi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Temperature is an important parameter to consider for asphalt paving since this work is generally susceptible to weather due to outdoor construction. The South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) developed working day weather charts in 1998 to address the expected adverse weather days. This thesis investigated the effect of temperature on adverse weather days for asphalt paving and compared them to the value reported in the 1998 SDDOT study. Moreover, the thesis also examined how closely the maximum temperature data from project sites' weekly progress reports (WPR) matched the data from the closest weather stations. When the maximum temperature (TMAX) …

Fundamental Investigation Of Interaction Between Moisture And Asphalt-Aggregate Systems, Rui Xiao

Doctoral Dissertations

Moisture-induced damage is one of the most common forms of flexible pavement distress which directly causes or exacerbates pavement failure. The intrusion of moisture into the asphalt pavements reduces the overall mechanical properties of the locking structures and gives rise to one or more of the visible forms of distress such as raveling, stripping, permanent deformation and fatigue cracking. This doctoral study is aimed at understanding the detrimental action of water on the asphalt-aggregate systems and the damage mechanism by multi-technique investigation. A thermodynamics framework was considered to characterize the properties of asphalt mix ingredients as well as the engineering …

Effect Of Varying Amounts Of Sandstone On The Performance Of Asphalt Mixtures In Arkansas, David Murphy

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There are many different species and subspecies of aggregate used across the state of Arkansas, and the rest the country. However, it cannot be presumed that the amount and type of these aggregates will be compatible with the commonly used asphalt binder of an area; this can lead to performance issues and premature pavement damage. It has been suspected in Arkansas that an excessive amount of sandstone in asphalt mixtures may be a culprit of some of these premature pavement damage issues, especially regarding the moisture susceptibility of a pavement. This study aimed to analyze the performance effects of using …

Refining Particle Size Specification For Asphalt Emulsion, Pedro Luis Diaz Romero

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Pavements begin to deteriorate as soon as they are constructed, and traffic is released. The rate at which a pavement deteriorates depends on the material quality, the environment, and the loads carried. To properly preserve pavements and extend their life, various pavement preservation treatments are used. For flexible pavements, a considerable number of these treatments use asphalt emulsion (which are refer to simply emulsions from here on). Emulsions are classified based on their particle charge and reactivity. Emulsions used in chip seals are usually of rapid set reactivity and are classified based on tests over fifty years old.

It has …

Comparing The Stiffness Of Cold In-Place Recycled Asphalt Pavement To Hot Mix Asphalt: Determining The Reproducibility Of The Stiffness Rebound Test, Tanner Turben

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Stiffness Raveling Mechanism Test (SRMT) was originally developed as an indirect measure of pavement stiffness to determine a pavement’s tendency to ravel, a type of damage. Regarding rehabilitation of existing roadways by Full Depth Reclamation (FDR) Cold In-Place Recycling (CIR), concern of field repeatability was expressed (Hill & Braham, 2016).

An analysis of lab-compacted samples of CIR and Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) was performed to determine if the results could be reproduced between CIR and HMA. Additionally, the experiment observed the effects of percent air voids, temperature, and moisture conditioning on CIR and HMA. Three samples were prepared for …

Research On High-Rap Mixtures With Rejuvenator - Field Implementation, Nitish R. Bastola, Mahdieh Khedmati, Hamzeh Haghshenas

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

The use of Rejuvenating Agents (RAs), as Recycled Asphalt Pavement (RAP) modifiers, has been increasing over the past years. However, the field performance of asphalt mixtures containing high-RAP materials and modified with RAs has raised some concerns regarding the long-term performance of RAs. This study evaluated the laboratory and field performance of high-RAP mixtures with and without bio-oil RA. Three sets of plant-produced specimens were collected: 1) laboratory-compacted; 2) field-compacted and cored after paving; and 3) field-compacted and cored after one and two years. The Hamburg Wheel Tracking (HWT) test was used to evaluate the specimens' resistance to rutting and …

Relating The Dongre Workability Test To Cold In-Place Recycled Asphalt Pavements, Gus Williams

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Dongre Workability Test (DWT) is a test for determining an asphalt pavement’s relative workability from the stress-strain curve of a sample. While the DWT has seen favorable results with warm mix and hot mix asphalt, Casillas and Braham (2020) attempted to apply this test to cold in-place recycled (CIR) asphalt pavements with limited results. This paper looked at the process of reexamining the DWT method to more favorable results with CIR samples. Phase 1 consisted of defining ten possible metrics from the stress-strain curve and applying them to samples with three different curing conditions. From these preliminary results, the …

Performance Testing Of Hot Mix Asphalt Modified With Recycled Waste Plastic, Shadi Saadeh, Pritam Katawał

Mineta Transportation Institute Publications

Plastic pollution has become one of the major concerns in the world. Plastic waste is not biodegradable, which makes it difficult to manage waste plastic pollution. Recycling and reusing waste plastic is an effective way to manage plastic pollution. Because of the huge quantity of waste plastic released into the world, industries requiring a large amount of material, like the pavement industry, can reuse some of this mammoth volume of waste plastics. Similarly, the use of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) has also become common practice to ensure sustainability. The use of recycled waste plastics and RAP in HMA mix can …

A Review Of Different Aspects Of Applying Asphalt And Bituminous Mixes Under A Railway Track, Kazem Jadidi, Morteza Esmaeili, Mehdi Kalantari, Mehdi Khalili

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

Asphalt is a common material that is used extensively for roadways. Furthermore, bituminous mixes have been used in railways, both as asphalt and as mortar. Different agencies and research institutes have investigated and suggested various applications. These studies indicate the benefits of bituminous material under railways, such as improving a substructure’s stiffness and bearing capacity; enhancing its dynamic characteristics and response, especially under high-speed train loads; waterproofing the subgrade; protecting the top layers against fine contamination. These potential applications can improve the overall track structure performance and lead to minimizing settlement under heavy loads. They can also guarantee an appropriate …

Effects Of Cellulose Nano-Fiber As An Additive On Performance Of Asphalt Binders And Mixes, Marco Paulo Pereira Castro

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Findings of a study conducted on asphalt binders and mixes modified by addition of cellulose nanofiber (CNF) to evaluate the feasibility of them as an additive is presented in the current thesis. Cellulose Acetate (CA) is an ester of cellulose and is obtained by the reaction of cellulose with acetic anhydride and acetic acid in the presence of sulfuric acid. Due to its high temperature sensitivity, high ductility, large surface area, high strain resistance, and low electrical resistivity, cellulose acetate can be used for several application. The question is if CNF can be used as an additive in the asphalt, …

Procedure For Asphalt Mixture Friction Evaluation For Wvdoh, Danielle Marie Hoyer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Monitoring asphalt skid resistance in the laboratory could aid in improved friction prediction capabilities and provide insight for developing alternative asphalt mixture designs in the future. The West Virginia Department of Highways (WVDOH) sought the design of a laboratory accelerated asphalt polishing machine to further expand on current skid resistance measurement practices. The design is modeled after the North Carolina State University (NCSU) polishing machine detailed in ASTM E660. The purpose of this research was to develop a testing procedure for the polishing equipment. Friction was monitored with the British Pendulum Tester (BPT) according to ASTM E303.

Specimens were prepared …

Evaluation Of Fracture Principles In Asphalt Concrete Utilizing The Sc(B) Geometry, Airam Marlee Morales Vega

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Since cracking is one of the principal distresses to be considered in asphalt concrete, multiple fracture tests and geometries have been used to quantify cracking resistance. One of the most popular geometries that have been used in fracture tests is the Semi-Circular bend (SC(B)). However, for this geometry, most of the fracture test methods use different parameters such as thickness, testing temperatures, and loading rates. Thus, the purpose of this research was first to evaluate fracture energy by performing a ruggedness test based on ASTM E1169. Then, to apply fracture mechanics concepts to evaluate three specimen thicknesses (25, 50, and …

Condition Assessment Of Bridge Decks With Asphalt Overlay, Sepehr Pashoutani, Jinying Zhu

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Ground penetrating RADAR (GPR) is a widely used nondestructive testing (NDT) method for bridge deck evaluation. However, the current GPR signal and data processing software and algorithms are not able to provide comprehensive information about bridge deck condition. Although the original objective of this research project was to develop GPR analysis algorithms for condition assessment of bridge decks with asphalt overlay, the scope of work has been expanded to concrete bridge decks with or without overlays.

In this study, the research team developed a complete GPR analysis procedure that includes the following components: 1) obtain zero-time for GPR reflection at …

Investigation Of Dsr Test Methods To Determine Binder Low Temperature Properties, Kommidi Santosh, Yong-Rak Kim

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

The low temperature rheology of bituminous binders is of great interest because low temperature cracking is one of the primary asphalt pavement failure modes observed in cold-climate places such as Nebraska. Low temperature binder characterization/grading has been primarily conducted using the bending beam rheometer (BBR), while the dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) can alternatively be used to characterize the low temperature properties of binders with the recent advancement of DSR equipment that can cover a wide range of testing temperatures. This study investigates alternative testing-analysis methods using the DSR to determine low temperature asphalt binder properties that have been measured by …

Asphalt Binder Laboratory Short-Term Aging, Hamzeh Haghshenas, Robert C. Rea

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

The Rolling Thin Film Oven (RTFO) is widely used to simulate asphalt binder short-term aging. However, there is a general interest to improve the current short-term aging protocol especially for reducing the aging time. Besides, there are some doubts about the capability of RTFO in the simulation of aging of highly polymer modified asphalt binders which is mainly due to improper dispersion of such binders in the bottles during rotating and creeping of highly viscous binder out of the bottles during rotation. This work addresses the effect of time, temperature, airflow rate, and weight of asphalt binder on the laboratory …

The Influence Of Asphalt Ageing On Induction Healing Effect On Porous Asphalt Concrete, Shi Xu, Xueyan Liu, Amir Tabakovic, Erik Schlangen

Articles

Induction healing is a proven technology which is able to improve the self‐healing capacity of asphalt concrete. Healing is achieved via electromagnetic current produced by passing induction machine, where steel asphalt constituents heat up which in turn soften the bitumen in the asphalt layer, allowing it to flow and close cracks, repairing the damage. This paper reports on the study which investigated the influence of ageing on the healing capacity of Porous Asphalt (PA) concrete. Porous Asphalt concrete mix was prepared first, then subjected to an accelerated (laboratory) ageing process using a ventilated oven. In order to further evaluate the …

Rheological Performance Of Bio-Char Modified Asphalt With Different Particle Sizes, Ran Zhang, Qingli Dai, Zhanping You, Hainian Wang, Chao Peng

Michigan Tech Publications

To improve the performance of petroleum asphalt, bio-char was used as a modifier for a petroleum asphalt binder, in this study. The rheological properties of bio-char modified asphalt binders were compared with different particle sizes and contents, with one control and one flake graphite modified asphalt binder. Specifically, the bio-char modifiers with two particle sizes (ranging from 75 μm–150 μm and less than 75 μm) and three contents of 2%, 4%, and 8% were added into the asphalt binder. A flake graphite powder with particle sizes less than 75 μm was used as a comparison modifier. The Scanning Electron Microscopy …

Understanding Asphalt Concrete Aging Using Nanoindentation, Hasan M. Faisal

Civil Engineering ETDs

Asphalt concrete (AC) is created by mixing liquid asphalt binder with solid aggregates. When asphalt binder is mixed with aggregates, it creates a thin film (about 7-16 microns thick) around the aggregate surface. Fine aggregate (smaller than 0.075 mm size) get entrapped within the binder film or mixed with the binder, and create a phase called mastic. Both asphalt film and mastic play significant roles in aging of asphalt pavement. To this day, tests were performed mainly on the bulk liquid asphalt, but not on the film or mastic. In this study, for the first time, nanoindentation tests were done …

New Mixture Additives For Sustainable Bituminous Pavements, Gabriel Mukristu Nsengiyumva, Kommidi Santosh, Yong-Rak Kim, Helan Xu, Yiqi Yang

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

In an effort to improve mechanical properties of asphalt concrete, an exploratory research using mixture additives was attempted. Two different types of additives on two material scales were used: asphalt concrete (AC) level and binder level. At the start of this study, the effect of natural cornhusk fibers on the resistance of two types of AC mixtures on cracking were tested for hot-mix asphalt (HMA) and cold-mix asphalt (CMA). The results showed slight improvements in cracking resistance in cornhusk reinforced HMA, and in the case of the CMA, marshal flow. Overall, based on the test results, cornhusk-reinforced HMA and CMA …

Using Historic Pavement Performance Data To Identify And Select Sites For Asphalt Mixture Design Studies, Allyson Richey

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Since 1997 Arkansas asphalt mixtures have been designed using a procedure commonly known as ‘Superpave’. In a traditional Superpave mix design, the design considers only traditional volumetric parameters; however, recent advances in mix design technology emphasize mixture’s ability to perform in its environment. There are numerous factors which affect the performance characteristics of an asphalt mix. Certainly, the asphalt binder’s performance is a critical variable in this system. Asphalt binders are sensitive to temperature, so much so that their primary parameter on which they are recommended is a function of both temperature and the geographic latitude in which the pavement …

Evaluation Of Tack Coating Practices For Asphalt Overlays In Nebraska, Soroosh Amelian, Yong-Rak Kim

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

The strength of the bond between asphalt layers affects the lifespan of pavement structures. It is also a key factor in preventing major pavement distresses, such as slippage cracking and delamination. This research project evaluates and compares the effectiveness and performance of different tack coating approaches to ensure the proper bond strength is achieved in asphalt concrete (AC) interlayers through an experimental study. Various tack coat materials, including different types of emulsified asphalt and asphalt binders, at multiple application rates and dilution ratios were investigated. In the first part of this study, laboratory-prepared samples were used to evaluate the sensitivity …

Research On High-Rap Asphalt Mixtures With Rejuvenators And Wma Additives, Hamzeh Haghshenas, Hesanaddin Nabizadeh, Yong-Rak Kim, Kommidi Santosh

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Black Space Of Compressive And Shear Modulus, Airam Marlee Morales Vega

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Uniaxial dynamic modulus is a standard test used to determine the viscoelastic behavior of asphalt pavement materials, with the standard analysis generating a Master Curve. One alternative to the master curve approach is a Black Space diagram, which is a rheological plot that can delineate either dynamic modulus |E*| or shear modulus |G*| vs. phase angle (δ). In this study, four asphalt binders were tested with one aggregate blend. One of these four binders was unmodified and the other three were modified with polymers and acids. Additionally, Polyphosphoric acid (PPA) is compared to the more traditional SBS polymer modification. PPA …

Evaluation Of Poisson’S Ratio Of Asphalt Concrete, Elvis Alexander Castillo Camarena

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Poisson´s ratio can be defined as the negative ratio of strains perpendicular to the load direction to the strains parallel to the loading direction. If elastic or viscoelastic models are used, Poisson´s ratio, together with elastic modulus, is a main input used to predict distresses in flexible pavement structures such as rutting and cracking. In asphalt concrete, Poisson’s ratio is commonly measured using two different testing configurations: indirect tension (IDT) and uniaxial. However, results from these two testing configuration can potentially have differences. Design methodologies such as the Mechanistic Empirical Design Guide (MEPDG, now PavementME) have been shown to be …

Development Of A Semicircular Bend (Scb) Test Method For Performance Testing Of Nebraska Asphalt Mixtures, Gabriel Nsengiyumva, Yong-Rak Kim, Taesun You

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Thin Asphalt Overlay Practice Preserving Nebraska's Asphalt Pavement, Soohyok Im, Yong-Rak Kim, Hamzeh Haghshenas Fatmehsari, Gabriel Nsengiyumva, Taesun You

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

The Investigation Of Cold-Mix Asphalt Creep Stiffness Testing Using Multiple Test Apparatuses And Gradations, Alexander Jackson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many current methods of designing and testing Cold In-Place Recycled (CIR) asphalt are undesirable because they require large amounts of material and significant preparation. In an effort to lessen the cost and time of materials testing, this research utilizes several different methods of small scale testing of creep stiffness. These methods include using a Discovery Hybrid Rheometer (DHR) and a three point bending test to find the creep stiffness of emulsion based CIR. The new testing methods utilized samples on the scale of up to a hundredth the size of what the traditional methods of testing require. The two smaller …

Factors Affecting Asphalt Pavement Density And The Effect On Long Term Pavement Performance, Jonathan Fisher, Clark Graves, Phillip Blankenship, Salman Hakimzadeh-Khoee, R. Michael Anderson

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Kentucky Transportation Center, the Asphalt Institute, and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet worked together in order to identify factors that affect asphalt pavement density, and to then evaluate their effect on long term pavement performance.

By determining which variables are most influential to pavement performance (i.e. roller pattern, temperature when rolled, etc.), and then monitoring the attention given to those variables, Kentucky would be able to increase the service life of asphalt roadways by at least 25%, therefore saving as much as $30 million annually on a resurfacing budget of $129.2 million (2007), while still maintaining the current roadway level …