Construction of Resilient Pavement Using Proper Interface Layers and Pavement Solar Collectors

Abstract

The resilience of pavements depends not only on asphalt mixture performance and structural design but also on the bonding between two adjacent pavement layers and interlayer performance as well as on traffic and environmental conditions. This paper thus aims to assess the impacts of several parameters on the interface shear resistance. Accordingly, the response surface method (RSM) was initially employed to design an experimental matrix based on the factors that exhibit the highest impacts on the shear resistance of the interface including the dosage of emulsions, temperature, and loading rate (as the independent variables) and responses obtained from the Leutner shear test. A pull-off test was also performed to evaluate the bonding between layers. Furthermore, the possibility of moderating the influence of ambient temperature on the interface using the pavement solar collector (PSC) system was investigated. The results showed that temperature is the most influential factor that can compromise the interface performance. The applied loading rate and dosage of emulsions also affected the bonding between pavement layers. The optimization analysis indicated that the utmost interface shear resistance could be attained at mid-range temperatures, coupled with the application of emulsions up to a specific limit. While the emulsion dosage can be controlled during pavement construction, it is beyond human capability to restrain the environmental temperature throughout the pavement’s lifespan. Nevertheless, the PSC system exhibited a superb ability to effectively reduce and increase the interface temperature during summer and winter, respectively, beneficially resulting in higher interface shear strength and consequently construction of more climate-resilient pavements.