Field Compaction Characteristics of Ultra-Thin Porous Friction Course Based on Laboratory Simulation

Abstract

As a preventive maintenance treatment, the ultra-thin porous friction course (UPFC) has been widely recognized and used in road maintenance because of its excellent performance and cost effectiveness. The Marshall compaction method (MCM) has been adopted to design UPFC mixtures worldwide, particularly in China. However, there are few studies concerning the field compaction properties of MCM-designed UPFCs. The laboratory test results of this study from simulating on-site compaction showed that all UPFC specimens with thicknesses of less than 20 mm barely achieved the target compaction thickness, and all UPFC specimens with different thicknesses failed to meet the air void (AV) requirements of UPFC mixes designed using the MCM. According to the results of a virtual compaction test, and using the discrete element method, the strong force chains were strengthened as the UPFC thickness decreased inside the specimen, making it difficult to evenly diffuse and transfer inside the specimen and resulting in insufficient compaction of the UPFC. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the MCM-designed UPFC specimens showed significant differences in the AV distributions along the vertical and lateral directions from those of the UPFC specimens that simulated field compaction. The UPFCs designed using the MCM had a poor correlation with field compaction.