Due to rapid changes in weather conditions and increased traffic loads, asphalt pavements have
become more susceptible to distress such as rutting, fatigue cracks, and potholes. Therefore,
significant attention has been focused on improving the performance of these pavements through
various modifications. The objectives of this study are to enhance the overall performance of the
asphalt mixture and improve its ability to resist traffic loads at both low and high temperatures
simultaneously by using double additives from basalt fiber and nano-CaCO3. The study applied
Marshall Stability, Wheel Track Test (WTT), Indirect Tensile Strength (ITS), and Marshall Immersion
(MI)
tests
to
assess
the
performance
of
the
modified
mixes.
Additionally,
the
physical
properties
were
examined
using
Scanning
Electron
Microscopy
(SEM)
and
Energy
Dispersive
X-
ray
(EDX)
analysis.
Four
asphalt
mixtures
were
tested:
the
first
was
a
control
asphalt
mix
(CAM)
to
determine
the
optimum
bitumen
content
(OBC);
the
second
was
nano-CaCO3
modified
asphalt
mix
(NCAM) with 2 %, 4 %, 6 %, and 8 % of the bitumen weight; the third was basalt fiber
modified asphalt mix (BFAM) with 0.25 %, 0.5 %, 0.75 %, and 1 % of the asphalt mix weight; and
the fourth mixture contained 5.5 % bitumen and optimum ratios of nano-CaCO3 and basalt fibers
(NCBFAM). The results showed that the addition of 8 % nano-CaCO3 led to significant improvements
of
53.97
%
in
rutting
resistance,
22.7
%
in
low
temperature,
and
12.5
%
in
durability
(RMS)
compared
to
the
control
mix
(CAM).
The
addition
of
0.5
%
basalt
fibers
improved
rutting
resistance
by
32.54
%,
ITS
by
7.62
%,
and
durability
by
6.3
%.
However,
the
combination
of
8
%
nano-CaCO3
and 0.5 % basalt fibers (NCBFAM) resulted in the most substantial improvements,
with increases of 46.83 % in rutting resistance, 18.94 % in low temperature, and 10.26 % in
durability compared to the conventional mix. These findings demonstrate that the combined
addition of nano-CaCO3 and basalt fibers significantly enhances the Marshall properties, high and
low temperature, and durability of the asphalt mix. |
