ABSTRACT
The roadway construction industry has adopted many measures to render its practices more sustainable, two of which include the utilization of Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) additives and the inclusion of fibers in Asphalt Concrete (AC). WMA additives are known to reduce the production and compaction temperatures used with traditional Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA), while fibers are believed to enhance the performance of AC mixtures by minimizing fatigue cracking and stiffening the asphalt binder which might reduce the required maintenance and rehabilitation of pavements. Given the economic and environmental benefits these technologies provide, their implementation is encouraged over that of conventional HMA mixes given that they provide acceptable or better durability and performance. In this study, an experimental program is carried out to evaluate the performance of fiber reinforced HMA and WMA mixes in the state of compression. The work is conducted for four different mixes (HMA, HMA with fibers, WMA, and WMA with fibers) a wax-based WMA additive, and a blend of aramid and polyolefin fibers. The advanced modeling of the viscoelastic behavior of these mixes through continuum damage models is used in order to assess and compare these mixes. The tests needed for such advanced characterization tests include complex modulus and uniaxial compression at different loading rates and temperatures. In addition, different techniques are tested to check the effect of the fiber’s length and mixing method.
