Mechanical and dynamical behavior of an asphalt mixture with addition of fibers

Abstract

This article reports experimental observations on the effect of polypropylene fibers on the mechanical and dynamic properties of an asphalt mixture. Initially, a characterization of the granular and asphalt materials is performed. The design of the asphalt mixture follows the methodology proposed by Marshall. The effects of the fibers on the mechanical and dynamic properties were evaluated by the evaluation of the stability and fluency, and by experimental determination of the permanent deformation value and the dynamic module, respectively. 
The results show a positive effect of the fibers in the modification of the asphalt mixture. The dynamic module increases in 45 % on average with an addition of 0.60 %. The permanent deformation decreases in 27.6 % for the addition of fibers of 0.60 % and 48.8 % for the addition of fibers of 0.75 %, respectively. This behavior reflects another effective alternative to improve the asphalt mixture, increasing the resistance to disintegration abrasive effect of the traffic and retardation of cracking caused by rutting.