Evaluation of the effect of geological characteristics of carbonate rocks mines on the moisture sensitivity of hot mix asphalt

Rezaei, Leila; Shoaei, Gholamreza; Mansourian, Ahmad

Evaluation of the effect of geological characteristics of carbonate rocks mines on the moisture sensitivity of hot mix asphalt

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Leila Rezaei ¹

Gholamreza Shoaei ²

Ahmad mansourian ³

¹ Tarbiat Modares university

² tarbiat modares

³ Road, Housing & Urban Development Research Center

Abstract

Aggregates form the structural skeleton of the asphalt mixture. Thus, the physical, mechanical, and chemical characteristics of the stone play significant role on the performance of the asphalt. By identifying the geological characteristics of the aggregates, vital information could be obtained about the behavior of asphalt during utilization. In this research, 13 carbonate mountain mines with diverse geological formations located in Ardabil, Isfahan, Tehran, Zanjan, Semnan, Qom and Hamadan provinces were sampled. The geological characteristics of the rocks in each mine, including the type of texture, the minerals and its constituent elements, were identified and the influence of the determined geological characteristics on the experiments results of Asphalt samples were investigated and evaluated. These experiments include boiling water, indirect tension, marshall strength ratio of asphalt, as well as bitumen absorption of the aggregates. The results of the investigations show that the type of microscopic texture of carbonate rocks is influential in reducing or increasing bitumen absorption. In addition, the presence of evaporative minerals, even in small amounts, increases the moisture sensitivity of asphalt.

Keywords

Carbonate aggregates

geology

hot mix asphalt

humidity sensitivity

Subjects