ABSTRACT
Porous Friction Courses (PFC) are asphalt mixtures characterized for having high values of Air Void (AV) content (i.e., 18–25%). This characteristic increases the permeability of the material, producing several safety and environmental benefits (e.g, reduction in spray and splash and improvement in visibility during raining episodes, reduction in noise generated by the passing traffic, etc.). The main shortcomings of these mixtures include their short service life and the difficulty to preserve their functionality. In this context, the use of numerical models of PFC could be an efficient tool to better understand and evaluate the causes affecting the durability and functionality of the material. This work focuses on identifying the information required to implement Finite Element (FE) models that are designed to evaluate the susceptibility of a PFC mixture to the loss of aggregates from the surface of the pavement, a phenomenon known as ‘ravelling’. Thus, this paper discusses the role of the geometry that is selected to represent the microstructure of the mixtures, as well as aspects related to the application of mechanical loading and to existing possibilities to simulate cracking or damage within the material. In order to illustrate the main aspects herein discussed, some examples of FE simulations of PFCs are also presented.
