This paper details the development of a framework for emulsion performance-grade (EPG) specifications for chip seal treatments. Chip seals are preservation surface treatments that are designed to improve the condition of the pavement surface while mitigating deterioration of the overall pavement structure. Asphalt emulsions used in chip seals often are selected based on factors that are not necessarily related to performance. Aggregate loss and bleeding have been identified as the most critical chip seal distresses that are related to binder performance. Storage stability, sprayability, and drain-out have been determined to be the most critical constructability concerns. For this study, binder and mixture test methods were identified to reflect the failure mechanisms for each critical distress type. The emulsion residue test methods that were identified to capture chip seal performance are the multiple stress creep and recovery test for bleeding and the dynamic shear rheometer frequency sweep test for low-temperature aggregate loss. The fresh emulsion test methods that were identified to capture chip seal constructability are the three-step shear test and storage stability test. The proposed EPG specifications for the fresh emulsion properties that are related to constructability were developed using statistical analysis of the binder test results. The proposed EPG specifications for the residual binder properties were developed by defining the temperature-independent relationships between the emulsion residue properties and mixture performance that correspond to each critical distress. Preliminary specification limits were then established based on the values of the binder properties that correspond to the critical mixture performance thresholds.
This paper evaluates the effect of polymer enhancement with antioxidant in the rheological properties of bitumen and mechanical properties of bituminous concrete mixture (BCM). In this study, two antioxidant-enhanced polymers were utilized in mitigating bitumen hardening due to aging. The rheological testing consists of temperature sweep using Dynamic Shear Rheometer at various aging conditions. Critical stiffness temperature data from the sweep test suggested that enhanced polymer exhibits less long-term hardening and brittleness compared to standard polymer. The mechanical testing consists of dynamic modulus, indirect tensile, flow number, and beam fatigue tests on BCM exposed to short-term aging. Hamburg wheel tracking test was also performed to assess moisture-damage susceptibility. It is found that the enhanced-polymer BCM exhibited higher modulus, higher tensile strength ratio, improved rutting resistance, lower moisture-damage susceptibility, and slightly increased fatigue life as compared to standard-polymer BCM.
Chip seals are applied to existing roadways to slow deterioration and improve pavement surface conditions without increasing the pavement’s structural capacity. The raveling of chip seals can cause damage to vehicles and thus is a safety concern. Raveling resistance is related to both material application rates and material properties. The current chip seal specifications fail to adequately address the material-related aspects of raveling resistance. This study seeks to develop recommendations to address raveling resistance in future chip seal specifications. Strain sweep binder tests, binder bond strength (BBS) tests, and Vialit chip seal mixture tests were conducted to assess early raveling, late raveling, and wet raveling at two intermediate temperatures. The results demonstrate that the bond that develops between the residual binder and the aggregate is highly dependent on the interaction between the emulsion and the aggregate during curing. The importance of emulsion–aggregate compatibility in raveling resistance indicates that raveling resistance cannot be addressed in binder specifications alone. Rather, it is recommended that intermediate temperature raveling resistance should be addressed during chip seal mixture design. Vialit and BBS tests, in which emulsion is cured on rock, can both be used to effectively quantify the aggregate loss potential of a chip seal. These two tests are able to capture the benefits of polymer modification and produce results that correlate. However, the Vialit tests are easier to implement than the BBS tests and require no expensive equipment. Therefore, Vialit tests are recommended to address early, late, and wet raveling resistance in future chip seal specifications.
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