Natural Cellular Materials to Enhance Asphalt Ravelling Resistance

Abstract: Asphalt pavements are widely used due to their excellent road performance and driving comfort. However, heavy traffic and extreme environmental conditions can cause rapid deterioration, demanding proactive and sustainable maintenance solutions [1]. Previous research has investigated the addition of encapsulated bitumen rejuvenators into asphalt mixtures to enhance the asphalt’s self-healing capabilities and potentially provide more efficient maintenance strategies [2][3]. Additionally, recent studies have demonstrated that asphalt mixtures incorporating porous materials, even without containing bitumen rejuvenators, are able to absorb energy from external loads applied [4].
In this context, this study investigates a highly porous natural cellular material as an eco-friendly, widely available and cost-effective additive for asphalt mixtures. The main objective of this research is to assess this additive’s potential in improving ravelling resistance, minimizing particle loss and extending pavement lifespan. Mechanical testing such as the Cantabro mass loss test, was conducted on asphalt mixtures with and without the additive to assess these properties.
Results indicated that incorporating up to 1% w/w highly porous natural cellular material into asphalt mixtures significantly improves surface ravelling resistance and durability. In asphalt mixtures containing the natural cellular material, mass loss was reduced to less than 25% after completing the Cantabro test. However, the reference asphalt mixture without the additive showed a mass loss of 60%. Therefore, this enhancement of the asphalt performance is attributed to the controlled deformation of the natural cellular material, which effectively absorbs energy and distributes stress throughout the asphalt matrix. These findings highlight the potential of using natural cellular materials to extend pavement lifespan, reduce maintenance costs, and promote more sustainable road construction practices.
Ref:
[1] D. Sun et al., « A comprehensive review on self-healing of asphalt materials: Mechanism, model, characterization and enhancement », Adv. Colloid Interface Sci., vol. 256, p. 65‑93, juin 2018, doi: 10.1016/j.cis.2018.05.003.
[2] L. Traseira Piñeiro, T. Parry, F. Haughey, et A. Garcia-Hernández, « Architected cellular particles to mitigate asphalt stone loss », Constr. Build. Mater., vol. 328, p. 127056, avr. 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2022.127056.
[3] N. Ruiz-Riancho, T. Saadoon, A. Garcia, D. Grossegger, et R. Hudson-Griffiths, « Optimisation of self-healing properties for asphalts containing encapsulated oil to mitigate reflective cracking and maximize skid and rutting resistance », Constr. Build. Mater., vol. 300, p. 123879, sept. 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2021.123879.
[4] M. Abedraba-Abdalla, N. Thom, A. Garcia-Hernández, et L. Li, « Particle loss mitigation in asphalt by the addition of polyethylene foam », Constr. Build. Mater., vol. 438, p. 137208, août 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2024.137208.