Experimental Investigation on Performance and Curing of Cold Mix Asphalt: Impact of Additives

Abstract

Cold Mix Asphalt (CMA) is a sustainable alternative to the conventional Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) in the construction of flexible pavement. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of cement and glass fibers as additives and assess the mechanical properties of CMA. The scope of this study included the preparation of CMA with cement and glass fibers, evaluation of mechanical properties using Indirect Tensile Strength (ITS) and Tensile Strength Ratio (TSR), and statistical comparison among the mixes. This study considered a total of 57 samples and performed laboratory investigation to accomplish the objective. The test results indicated that when 2% cement was used in place of filler, significant improvement in the tensile strength was observed as compared to the control mix without cement. Similarly, the resistance to moisture damage also improved in the presence of cement. However, the incorporation of glass fibers did not result in any change in tensile strength. The moisture resistance of the mix with glass fibers was found to be the lowest among all the mixtures. Hence, the use of cement as a filler was found to be beneficial to improve the properties of CMA. Overall, it is envisaged that this study provided important insights into the behavior and properties of CMA with cement and glass fibers, and thus advancing the state-of-the-art akin to the design and construction of sustainable pavement infrastructures using cold mix asphalt.