The effect of reinforcing asphaltic pavement with steel mesh on its viscoelastic behavior

Abstract

Hot-prepared asphalt mixtures (HMA) used in flexible paving are usually considered as elastic materials although their behavior is viscoelastic, the

viscoelastic behavior of which depends substantially on temperature and loading time. Although the concept of viscoelastic behavior is not new, its application to elastic paving is still new compared to linear elastic analysis.

The viscoelastic properties of the asphalt mixture can be expressed as creep compliance coefficient, and the creep compliance coefficient D(t) is defined as the loading time-related distortion divided by the stress. The creep compliance coefficient is used to obtain mathematical models that give the coefficient of elasticity that varies with loading time and with temperature.

Using the KENPAVE program, the viscoelastic analysis of an asphalt covering consisting of an asphalt-paved layer, a gravel base layer and an underlayment layer was carried out in two cases. The first is a reference with a layer of asphalt paving without the metal grating, and the second with the presence of reinforcement from the metal grate below this layer.

The result of the viscoelastic analysis showed that adding metal mesh to the asphalt-paving layer reduced the tensile deformation on the bottom of the asphalt-paving layer by 6% at zero degrees Celsius and by about 50% at high temperatures more than 30 degrees Celsius.