Investigation of Relationship Between Water Absorption and Compaction Level of Asphalt Pavements for Field Verification
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Date
2021-12-18
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the 12th International Scientific Research Congress, Science and Engineering
Abstract
In order to build an asphalt concrete pavement resistant to environmental conditions and traffic, it is imperative that the mixture is designed correctly and compacted with appropriate equipment after laying operations. If the air voids distribution and dimensions in a finished pavement are above a certain limit, and especially if the air voids are interconnected, air and water intrusion may adversely affect the service life of the pavement, especially due to wet-dry and freeze-thaw cycle effects. Therefore, it is stipulated by various specifications that the level of compaction in a finished pavement should not exceed a certain limit. Minimum bulk density in the field typically ranges from 96% to 100% of compacted bulk density in the laboratory. In addition, according to KTS 2013, which is a main specification for highway constructions in Turkey, the average density of the core samples with a diameter of 10-15 cm taken from the field one day after its construction should not be less than 98% of the laboratory mix density and the single density should not be less than 96%. There is no limitation on the level of water that leaks into the pavement due to permeable voids and is likely to damage the pavement during the wet-dry and freeze-thaw cycles. On the other hand, Indirect Tensile Strength (ITS) test is applied to determine the resistance of the samples prepared in accordance with AASHTO T 283 against moisture-induced damage. However, since this experiment is a very detailed one, it cannot be performed at every project, laboratory and professional level. In this study, a quality control data set was used to determine the compaction level and water absorption rates by taking Bituminous Base Course (BBC), Binder Course (BC) and Wearing Course (WC) type core samples from the asphalt road network under the responsibility of Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality. According to the linear regression analysis, by an experimental set in which the test results of a total of 1460 cores were used, a compacted level of 96% or higher was obtained in 79% of the set. For this group that meets the specification criteria, the water absorption rate by mass has been determined as 1% and it has been suggested that using this value as a threshold in the quality assurance system may be beneficial in minimizing possible damage to the pavement during wet-dry and freeze-thaw cycles.
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Keywords
Asphalt Cores, Compaction Level, Water Absorption, Field Verification