The most technologically advanced form of road construction uses a high content of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) as a component of its asphalt mixture (AM). However, there is a real problem with the effective interaction of RAP and MA. The research herein described presents an effective use of RAP originating from the recycling process of old pavements thanks to the application of an original rejuvenator. Two types of AM were designed concerning the base course of pavement as well as the wearing course and the binder course for various traffic categories. The achieved results show that the rejuvenator improved the homogenization of RAP with the asphalt binder and aggregate in each mixture type. On the basis of the research, the possibility of using paving AM with an increased content of RAP in lowered technological temperatures received a favorable assessment. Mixtures of asphalt concrete containing 40% RAP meet both Polish and German requirements for mixtures intended for heavy traffic pavements. Thanks to use of the rejuvenator, it is possible to compact AM layers containing RAP in a final compaction temperature lowered by about 20 °C. The achieved AM lab test results were confirmed on trial road sections. The rejuvenator used in tested AMs improved the homogenization of RAP with both binder and virgin aggregate. Moreover, the study proved that it is possible to use 20%, 40%, and even 100% RAP contents in the mixtures thanks to the use of the rejuvenator based on plant resin and the creation of conditions enabling the effective homogenization of AM components.
Modern bridge structures need light decks with long durability and promising technical parameters. Glass fiber-reinforced polymer orthotropic bridge deck creates unconventional possibilities in bridge designing. Parallel identification of glass fiber-reinforced polymer deck panel by differential thermal analysis, spectroscopy analysis, scanning and optical microscope monitoring, dynamic mechanical analysis and differential scanning calorimetry analysis, tensile and flexural tests will be presented in the paper. Differential thermal analysis was carried out for estimation of the physical and chemical transformation of glass fiber. The differential scanning calorimetry experiments were performed in the glass fiber-reinforced polymer–bridge deck material for determining the mass variation and the energy changes suffered by the materials, as a function of temperature and time. Dynamic mechanical analysis was allowed to detect thermal effects based on the changes in the modulus or damping behavior. Tensile and flexural tests allowed the observation of the decomposition process and information about the basic stress parameters of glass fiber-reinforced polymer material used in bridge applications was taken. Aforementioned analyses are necessary to examine the durability description of the composite element.
Abstract. The aim of this paper is to investigate of dynamic characteristics of cable-stayed Fiberline Bridge in Kolding, Denmark, made entirely of Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) composite. During examination based on in situ free-decay measurements and using accelerometers under human jumping the primary five natural frequencies, corresponding mode shapes and damping ratios of the footbridge were identified. The Peak Picking (PP) and Frequency Domain Decomposition (FDD) approaches were applied to identify the natural frequencies and mode shapes. The corresponding damping ratios were extracted by a linear regression on the extremes of modal decays. The estimated damping ratios were compared with published data for selected footbridges made of various conventional materials. The obtained experimental results provide a relevant data regarding the dynamic response prediction or structural health monitoring of all-GFRP composite footbridges.
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