Evaluation of the Durability of a Low-Carbon Asphalt Pavement Solution in Extreme Cold Weather Conditions
摘要
It is predicted that the weather will get more extreme due to climate change, significantly impacting the durability and maintenance cost of current asphalt road pavement systems (RPS). Likewise, a heavy environmental burden is associated with the current RPS because their production involves large-volume extraction of bitumen and dredging virgin sand and gravel (VSG). Recent research findings show that greener solutions, such as using waste plastics for bitumen reduction in asphalt, can significantly improve asphalt performance and provide an effective management option for waste materials. However, the impact of extreme weather conditions on the durability of green solutions and maintenance requirements has not been investigated. This paper presents the outcomes of extensive durability testing of a novel asphalt pavement using an innovative Freeze-Thaw (F–T) and Marshall Asphalt Mix Methods to determine the influence of predicted extreme future winter weather conditions on the low-carbon asphalt pavement (LCAP) samples. The results show that the asphalt samples containing PET have similar F–T resistance performance to the control samples. Likewise, the changes in air voids due to F–T in both sets of asphalt samples are similar. These outcomes indicate that the theoretical maximum loading that the asphalt samples can be subject to is similar, and there is no reduction in stability when waste plastics are used as a substitute for the asphalt bitumen content in extreme cold weather conditions.