ABSTRACT
This research is focused on the effect of fibres (glass, steel and cellulose) on the rheological properties of asphalt mortar. The motive of this research is to gain a better understanding of the fibre reinforcement and binding properties of asphalt mortar. Pavement deformation at high temperatures is a significant problem for asphalt concrete mixtures. It is believed that permanent deformation is related to residual strains and shear strains. Residual strains are mainly due to the compaction. Shear strains are linked with the stiffness of the materials and formed by load induced stresses. When the pavement temperature is high the probability of shear strains in asphalt pavement is increased. In this study the potential of different fibre types to modify the rheological properties of asphalt mortar has been investigated. An experimental programme was carried out on mortar mixtures with different contents of fibre. The properties of the base mortar and resulting modified mortars were tested by using scanning electronic microscopy, penetration, viscosity and rheological testing in the dynamic shear rheometer. The experimental results showed that the fibres can entangle with each other and that adding fibres improves the rutting parameters of asphalt mortar across a range of high temperatures. Finally adding fibre reduced the penetration and increased the viscosity of mortar indicating an improvement in rutting resistance of asphalt mixtures using these mortars.
