Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Load Failure at the Interface Joint of Repaired Potholes Using Hot Mix Asphalt with Steel Fiber Additive

Abstract

The maintenance of potholes is a long-standing problem. Previous studies focused on pothole patching materials and methods but not on bonding at the interface joint. In this study, the influence of the patching shape and depth on the bonding at the interface joint using two patching materials: hot mix asphalt (HMA) and hot mix asphalt containing 5% (by volume) steel fiber (HMA+) was investigated. Slabs with circular and square potholes in the middle with different depths (35, 50 and 70 mm) were prepared. The two shapes of potholes were patched with two patching materials: HMA and HMA+, at different depths. The slabs were tested after patching using a rigid steel frame. The experimental results were compared with those obtained from finite element analysis using the ABAQUS software, applying the same model of slabs with the same dimensions and properties of the materials used. The results indicated that the bonding at joint interface for circular-patched potholes slightly improved using HMA+ and this was independent of patching depth. As for the square-patched potholes, the bonding at the interface joint was better than for the circular-patched ones; the bonding increased with increasing depth. Using HMA+ for patching the square-patched potholes, the bonding at the interface joint slightly increased, only for the 3.5 cm depth.

Mechanical Performance of Patched Pavements with Different Patching Shapes Based on 2D and 3D Finite Element Simulations

“…As a remedy, pothole patching is usually employed as a low-cost treatment and emergency repair for pothole distress to ensure the service performance of asphalt pavements [2]. Unlike highcost pavement reconstruction, the patching method replaces the pothole area with new hot mixed asphalt (HMA) in an asphalt pavement [3]. Therefore, the workability of the patched-asphalt mixtures determines the service performance and life cycle of the asphalt pavements.…”

“…The employment of patching technology in pavements significantly contributes to the rehabilitation of asphalt pavements and further reduces the cost of pavement maintenance [3]. Nonetheless, the inherent properties of the original and patched-asphalt mixtures are distinct due to different aging effects.…”

“…Li, Huang, Shao, and Ren [1] conducted orthogonal experiments to assess the service lives of pothole repairs with various interface shapes, and they determined the optimum interface shape of patching by evaluating the joint effects in the interface. Eisa, Abdelhaleem, and Khater [3] employed experimental approaches to investigate the interfacial fractures of a patched-asphalt mixture with steel-fiber reinforcements under various loading conditions, and the results indicated that the patching shape had more impact on the interface-debonding performance than the patching depth. Byzyka et al [11,12] investigated temperature distributions at interfaces between patched and unpatched mixtures during the construction of asphalt-pavement-patch repairs, and they suggested that a pre-heating procedure in pothole repair is necessary to increase the workability of the patching-asphalt mixtures.…”