Study of the Interlocking Filling-Graded Composition Design Method of an Asphalt Mixture Mixed with Shape-Memory Epoxy Resin Fibers

摘要

Under the comprehensive action of environmental temperature and vehicle loads, asphalt pavement is prone to certain issues, such as high-temperature wheel ruts. Thermally activated shape-memory epoxy (SMEP) resin is a new kind of intelligent polymer material that can sense temperature changes and respond by adjusting the mechanical parameters back to their initial state. Adding thermally activated shape-memory epoxy resin to an asphalt mixture can improve its high-temperature performance and water stability. This paper incorporated shape-memory epoxy resin fibers into asphalt mixtures. First, AC-13 asphalt mixtures mixed with and without SMEP were tested with a Marshall experiment. The results showed that the AC-13 asphalt mixture mixed with SMEP swells. To solve this problem, an interlocking filling-graded composition is proposed. A local optimization algorithm was used to study the graded composition, and the corresponding equations and processes are proposed. The Marshall test of the interlocking filling-graded composition indicated that the values of porosity and voids in mineral aggregate (VMA) of the asphalt mixture produced with 4.75-mm sieve pores were greater than the values obtained for the asphalt mixture produced with 2.36-mm sieve pores. Moreover, the bulk density and stability of the asphalt mixture produced with 4.75-mm sieve pores were less than those obtained for the asphalt mixture produced with 2.36-mm sieve pores. The optimal interlocking filling-graded composition was produced with 2.36-mm sieve pores and a 6% mineral powder. The interlocking filling-graded composition in this paper solves the aforementioned expansion problem when incorporating SMEP into an ordinary graded composition, enriching the graded composition design method of asphalt mixtures.