Laboratory Study on Warm Stone Matrix Asphalt (W-SMA) Mix Prepared Using Non-conventional Fibers

India has the second-largest road network in the world. Most of the Indian roads are built as flexible pavements. Hot mix asphalt (HMA) is used as a paving material in the construction of flexible pavements. In HMA, the aggregates and bitumen are heated to higher temperatures prior to mixing. This results in the emission of pollutants, causing hazards to the environment. To overcome this problem, warm mix technology has been adopted by pavement engineers in which the mixing, compacting and laying temperatures are lowered by 20–30 °C. Stone Matrix Asphalt (SMA) is a hot mix used as a wearing/surface course in the flexible pavement because of its high resistance to rutting and improved durability properties. In the present study, an attempt is being made to evaluate the performance of SMA as a warm mix by adding Zycotherm as a warm mix additive and to compare the properties of W-SMA prepared using the two non-conventional jute and areca fibers. It is concluded that the W-SMA prepared using hybrid non-conventional fibers improves the stability of the SMA mix.