Performance evaluation of open-graded epoxy asphalt concrete with two nominal maximum aggregate sizes

Abstract

Open-graded friction course (OGFC) is applied to pavement surfaces to increase driving safety under wet conditions, and recently, to reduce tire/pavement noise. The durability of OGFC, however, has been a concern since conventional OGFC mixes last typically less than ten years before major maintenance or rehabilitation is needed. This work investigates a new open-graded asphalt mixture that uses epoxy asphalt as binder to improve mix durability. One type of epoxy asphalt that has been successfully applied to dense-graded asphalt concrete for bridge deck paving was selected. A procedure of compacting the mix into slab specimens was developed and a series of laboratory tests were conducted to evaluate the performance of the new mix, including Cantabro loss, permeability, friction, shear strength, and wheel rutting tests. Results show superior overall performance of the open-graded epoxy asphalt mix compared to conventional open-graded asphalt mix. There are also preliminary indications that the OGFC mix with 4.75-mm NMAS gradation can improve the resistance performance to raveling, while the OGFC mix with 9.5-mm NMAS gradation can improve the performance of surface friction at a high slip speed.

Keywords

open-graded concrete / epoxy asphalt concrete / nominal maximum aggregate size (NMAS) / aggregate size / performance

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