Abstract
To delay the expansion of reflective cracks on semi-rigid base asphalt pavements and strengthen the cracking resistance of asphalt rubber stress-absorbing membrane interlayers, the bonding and fracture performances as well as cracking resistance of a fiber-reinforced asphalt rubber stress-absorbing membrane interlayer (FAR-SAMI), rubber asphalt stress-absorbing membrane interlayer (AR-SAMI), and SBS-modified asphalt stress-absorbing membrane interlayer (AS-SAMI) were studied. In addition, the resistance to reflective cracking for FAR-SAMI was evaluated by finite element (FE) analysis. The results show that FAR-SAMI exhibits appropriate bonding performance at 15 and 40
The addition of glass fiber increases the toughness of the composite specimens and the fracture energy of FAR-SAMI increases by 23% compared with AR-SAMI. Furthermore, FAR-SAMI is effective in restraining the development of reflection cracks and prolonging the fatigue life. FE analysis also shows that FAR-SAMI can significantly reduce the stress concentration phenomenon in the crack. Therefore, fiber-reinforced asphalt rubber was found to be suitable as a SAMI to prevent and control reflective cracking.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).