Interface Performance Of Fiber Reinforced Asphalt Concrete Pavement

Fiber reinforced asphalt epitomizes the asphalt industry's drive towards pavement structure which performs better and represents cost-effective solutions for road-building. Fiber reinforced asphalt refers to an asphalt concrete produced by adding to the blend of aggregate and asphalt binder a certain ratio of fiber per total mass of the blend.Recently, researchers have had significant interest in the modified product but it is believed that the lack of well documented procedures and standards has kept away some practitioners favoring more familiar products and traditional mixed AC.This research work aims, using laboratory testing, to study the interface performance of a fiber reinforced asphalt concrete pavement. The asphalt binder used is an AC 16 modified with 0.2% of the blend total mass.Two mix design procedures were developed, encompassing all the necessary elements from the selection of aggregates and binder to the determination of the optimum engineering properties of the blend according to the Marshall method. At all the stages, comparison as for the stability, the flow, the tensile strength and different aspects of the shear performance were made between traditional and modified paving grades in order to assess whether the asphalt modification, from the interface bonds perspective, is also an advisable technology to the road-building industry.Laboratory testing results on AC briquettes and cores revealed that the reinforced paving grades developed better anti-rutting and anti-splitting properties, together with a higher stability. They also develop better anti-shear properties at the interface of two AC plates, properties which are likely to further improve while a prior thin layer of tack coat is used before the overlay.