Experimental Evaluation of the Influence of Aggregate Strength on the Flexural Cracking Behavior of Epoxy Asphalt Mixtures
School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, South China University of Technology, Wushan Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 510641, China
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Materials 2020, 13(8), 1876; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13081876
Received: 15 March 2020
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Revised: 13 April 2020
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Accepted: 15 April 2020
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Published: 16 April 2020
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Asphalt Road Paving Materials)
The flexural cracking resistance of an asphalt concrete mixture used in a steel bridge deck pavement needs to be higher than that of one used in ordinary pavement. In this study, mechanical experimental tests were used to evaluate the influence of the aggregate strength on the flexural cracking behavior of epoxy asphalt concrete (EAC). The aggregate fracture area of beam cross sections was quantitatively analyzed by digital image processing, and crack propagation in the mixture was analyzed using fracture mechanics theory. The bending test results showed that the EAC containing high-strength aggregates exhibited the highest flexural cracking resistance among all of the aggregate mixtures under the same conditions. The use of high-strength aggregates led to a reduction in the aggregate fracture area, thereby improving the flexural cracking resistance of the mixture. The aggregate strength had a significant influence on the flexural cracking propagation behavior of the mixture. Fatigue test results at strain-controlled levels of 600–1200 με and 15 °C showed that the aggregate strength had no evident influence on the fatigue properties of the EAC. It is recommended that high-strength aggregates are used to increase the fracture resistance of aggregates and the flexural crack resistance of EACs.
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Keywords:
epoxy asphalt mixture; aggregate strength; flexural cracking; impact toughness; experimental study; bending test; fatigue test
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MDPI and ACS Style
Xu, W.; Wei, X.; Wei, J.; Chen, Z. Experimental Evaluation of the Influence of Aggregate Strength on the Flexural Cracking Behavior of Epoxy Asphalt Mixtures. Materials 2020, 13, 1876. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13081876
AMA Style
Xu W, Wei X, Wei J, Chen Z. Experimental Evaluation of the Influence of Aggregate Strength on the Flexural Cracking Behavior of Epoxy Asphalt Mixtures. Materials. 2020; 13(8):1876. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13081876
Chicago/Turabian StyleXu, Wei, Xiaoshu Wei, Jintao Wei, and Zhengxiong Chen. 2020. "Experimental Evaluation of the Influence of Aggregate Strength on the Flexural Cracking Behavior of Epoxy Asphalt Mixtures" Materials 13, no. 8: 1876. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13081876
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