An Experimental Investigation on the Repairing Performance and Fatigue Life of Asphalt Pavement Potholes With an Inclined Interface Joint

Abstract

A pothole is a typical structural damage of asphalt pavements that significantly influence the life of asphalt pavements and driving safety. The durability of the existing pit repair methods is generally low. The existing studies in the context of pothole repair mainly focus on the selection and the amount of tack coat materials, nonetheless, very limited studies emphasize the effect of the joint interface shape. This study aims to investigate the influence of the interface joint shape on the service life of pothole repair by experimental testing. The strength and fatigue behavior of the joints were studied and the effectiveness of pothole repairs was evaluated under various conditions, including four temperature levels (5, 10, 15 and 25°C), four strain levels (750 με, 1,000 με, 1,250 με, and 1,500 με) and three loading frequencies (2, 5, and 10 Hz). The optimal interface joint shape was obtained by orthogonal tests. The results indicated that the bond strength and fatigue life of the high viscoelastic emulsified asphalt with an area density of 0.6 kg/m2 in the form of a 30° inclination joint was 473 and 80 times higher than those of traditional pothole repair (i.e., vertical joint form and no tack coat), respectively. Finally, a prediction model was proposed for the interface joint fatigue life considering external parameters through multiple regression analyses. This prediction model can provide a reference for the further study of asphalt pavement pothole repair.