A Novel Approach to Mitigating Studded Tire Abrasion

摘要

Studded tires are commonly used around the world for improved traction on roads in icy conditions. While they improve traction, the metal studs cause abrasion rutting on both asphalt and concrete pavements. Standard approaches do not show sufficient improvement in heavily-trafficked areas such as the City of Anchorage, Alaska, especially on higher speed roads and highways, where the resultant rutting from studded tire wear is one of the most persistent pavement distresses. In the fall of 2014, the Alaska Department of Transportation (AK DOT) undertook a trial in the City of Anchorage using a novel approach to improve resistance to studded tire wear. The approach was to use a standard mix design with a hard aggregate along with an exceptionally soft, tough asphalt binder with an AASHTO M 332 grade of PG 64E-40. In laboratory Prall testing, this new mixture gave less than half the volume loss of a typical good-performing mix. Binder design, mixture testing, construction, and performance are discussed. To date, performance has been sufficiently impressive to warrant further projects now under construction.