Improvement of Moisture Susceptibility for Asphalt Mixture with Ceramic Fiber

Abstract

Moisture damage is one of the most significant troubles that destroy asphaltic pavementand reduces road serviceability. Recently, academics have noticed a trend to utilize fibers toenhance the efficiency of asphalt pavement. This research explores the effect of low-costceramic fiber, which has high tensile strength and a very high thermal insulation coefficient,on the asphalt mixture's characteristics by adding three different proportions (0.75%, 1.5%,and 2.25%). The Marshall test and the Tensile Strength Ratio Test (TSR) were utilized todescribe the impact of ceramic fiber on the characteristics of Marshall and the moisturesusceptibility of the hot mix asphalt mixture. The Field Emission Scanning ElectronMicroscopy (FE-SEM) analysis was used to investigate ceramic fibers' microscopic structureand clarify the mechanics of their improved behavior and their distribution within theasphalt concrete mixture. The results showed that the incorporation of ceramic fibersimproved the Marshall properties and the asphalt mixture's susceptibility to moisturedamage with an optimum fiber content equal to 1.5%, where Marshall stability increased by39.04%, and the TSR increased by 11.06% at this content compared with the control asphaltmixture.