A Study o Influence of Temperatu e on f r

Crack Propagation Behavior of Asphalt Concrete

Tao XIE
College of Civil and Architecture Engineering
Guizhou University
Guiyang, China
xie_tao96@163.com
Zezhong JIANG
College of Civil Engineering
Southwest Jiaotong University
Chengdu, China
qmrjzz@yahoo.com.cn
Yanjun QIU
College of Civil Engineering
Southwest Jiaotong University
Chengdu, China
publicqiu@163.com
Bo LAN
Department of Transportation
Sichuan Province
Chengdu, China
sclb2008@163.com


AbstractThe fracture resistance of asphalt materials
significantly influences the service life of asphalt pavements
and consequently affects the maintenance and rehabilitation
costs of the pavement network. Therefore, there is significant
interest in understanding the mechanism of fracture in asphalt
pavements and in developing analysis tools that would lead to
the selection of asphalt materials with increased fracture
resistance. Study of cracking behavior of asphalt mixtures
should be conducted in a micro-scale level to have a real
simulation of crack propagation. Using SIEMENS
SOMATOM plus X-ray CT (computerized tomography) and
multi-functional testing rig, a dynamic observation of cracking
propagation of hot mix asphalt was conducted in this research.
Failure process under compressive pressure was recorded
using CT images and CT numbers. The direct responses in
density change of Marshall Samples under a CT-compressive
process are change of CT numbers. Cracking propagation in
the samples can be clearly observed and failure mode and
stress-strain behavior can then be simulated. The tests
reported provide important theoretical fundamentals to study
the cracking behavior and failure mechanism of asphalt
mixtures Under the influence of temperaturet.
Keywords- asphalt concrete, crack propagation behavior, CT,
temperaturet
I. INTRODUCTION
A great effort has been devoted to the development of an
accurate and reliable strength criterion for composites. The
failure process in a composite is extremely complex and it
would be very difficult to analytically describe each
successive failure stage in detail[1]. The analysis of
composite material failure has traditionally followed two
investigative paths: macro-mechanics and micro-mechanics.
The macro-mechanics approach is to determine the effects of
the constituent materials by the overall material parameters
like tensile strength and shear strength. The micro-mechanics
approach is to consider the interactive and individual
behavior of the composite constituent materials such as the
fiber and epoxy resin properties. Therefore, there is
significant interest in understanding the mechanism of
fracture in asphalt pavements and in developing analysis
tools that would lead to the selection of asphalt materials
with increased fracture resistance. An experimental method
that allows observation of crack initiation and propagation is
of great interest to help researchers understand the fracture
mechanisms of asphalt mixtures, develop more general and
reliable constitutive models, and nominate the influential
factors in the process of fracture [2].
This paper reports a research effort of dynamic
observation of the micro-fracture process of asphalt mixture
under compressed condition and Different temperature by
using CT method. The CT numbers, CT images and the other
data were analyzed for surveying the influence of different
temperature on crack propagation behavior of asphalt
concrete under compressed condition.
II. DESCRIPTION OF EXPERIMENT
The specially developed uniaxial loading equipment
specially for CT studies on asphalt concrete, measuring
240mm1000mm in sizes, having a 142mm inner diameter
of axial compression cylinder that creates a maximum axial
compression of 400kN and a confining pressure of 20 .
By using this testing equipment, one can conduct CT tests of
continuous loading failure and unloading damage with this
equipment man can make real-time CT on a designated cross
section of a specimen in the meantime when he conducts
macro tests of complete failure process so as to study the
deformation failure situation of the specimen.
MPa


2009 International Conference on Measuring Technology and Mechatronics Automation
978-0-7695-3583-8/09 $25.00 2009 IEEE
DOI 10.1109/ICMTMA.2009.622
750



























The CT unit for our tests is X-ray spiral CT unit of plus
type of SIEMENS SOMATOM, having spatial resolutions of
0.35mm0.35mm (being able to distinguish a minimum
volume of 0.12mm3with a layer thickness of 1 and a
density contrast resolution of 0.3%(3HU) [3]. The specially
designed loading system is the necessary accessory for the
CT machine at the State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil
Engineering of China.
mm
Marshall samples of AC20 (with average density
2.41g/cm
3
) were used under uniaxial compressive stress state
in different temperature environment. Stress and strain
behavior was observed during the compressive failure
process of asphalt mixtures. The indexes of specimens are
accorded with the Specifications for design of highway
asphalt pavement [4]. The CT test was carried out in the
State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil Engineering from
Aug.24 to Sept.10, 2006.The asphalt concrete samples were
used to study the crack propagation law under uniaxial
compression with CT real-in time scanning test. For each
sample there were three cross sections from top to bottom for
scanning. The rate of strain was 0.2mm/min as a quasi-static
loading test.
In this test, it adopts two kinds of temperature. The
temperature of AC20-1 is Room temperature and AC20-4 is
0.


Fig.1 STlHl\S SOH/TOH l|S X-ray CT machine
Fig.2 loading equipment system


Table 1 Scan test conditions
Voltage/ kV Current/ mA Time/ s Label Thickness/mm
Amplifying
factor
Interval/mm
120 165 2 OM 5 5.0 8

Table 2 Scan test results under different temperature
Scan order AC20-1 (25) AC20-4 (0)

c
V V /
H () ME
Variance
Of ME
c
V V /
H () Hl
Variance
Of ME
1 0 0 1994.1 544.0 0 0 1938.9 565.8
? 0.04 0.63 1997.4 543.9 0.14 0.94 1940.8 573.9
3 0.52 2.54 1989.3 559.6 0.46 2.36 1946.4 580.8
4 0.93 3.49 1944.7 578.5 0.95 4.09 1944.6 581.5
1.00 5.56 1876.0 644.6 1.00 5.83 1932.1 587.3
b 0.82 9.52 1711.6 823.2


III. ANALYSIS OF THE TEST RESULTS
Tab.1 is the scan test conditions of the samples. The each
section of AC20-1 was scanned in 6 times, and each section
of AC20-4 was scanned in 5 times. The thickness of each
section is 5mm.The internal distance is 8 mm between two
sections. The corresponding stress states of 5 or 6 times
scanning test are given in Tab.2. The test results of each scan
section of AC20-1 and AC20-4 are also shown in the Tab.2
[5]. In the Tab.2, ME is an average CT value of three
sections. And Variance of ME is the variance of the CT
value of three sections.
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In order to comparative analysis, there has a unified
process for the stress state of each sample, i.e. each stress
value is divided by the respective peak strength value of
sample. The CT images of the 2
nd
scan sections are partly
given in this paper because of limit of the paper length
(Fig.3).
The test temperature of AC20-1 is about 25UThat is, it
is at room temperature. The test temperature of AC20-4 is
about 0U More or less , it is at frozen temperature.This road
is also often subjected to this low-temperature weather
disasters.
In the Fig.4 (b), the SD is the variance of the CT value of
each section and SD
0
is the variance of the CT value of
initial scan cross section.
In the Tab.2,
c
V is the respective peak strength value of
the samples. In order to visual comparative analysis of the
influence of temperature on CT number, Fig.4 is worked out.
There also has a unified process for the CT numbers of each
time scan of each sample, i.e. each CT number value and the
variance of the CT value of each section. are divided by the
respective initial CT number value of sample and the
variance of the CT value.





























(a) 5 . 0 / |
c
V V of AC20-1
(b) 5 . 0 / |
c
V V of AC20-4
(c) 0 . 1 /
c
V V of AC20-1
(d) 0 . 1 /
c
V V of AC20-1
Fig.3 CT images of 2
nd
scan section
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It can be obtained from Tab.2, in the stage of the value of
H from 0 to about 0.7%, the CT value of AC20-1 all three
scan sections are rose. In fact, the micro-cracks began to be
closed. However, the CT number increases to a small extent,
for instance, the CT number of the AC20-1 increases only by
3.3. The CT value of 1st scan sections of AC20-4 had
increased a few and there were not increase in 2nd and 3rd
scan sections. At the same time, the Fig.4 (a) has shown that
the change degree of CT number of AC20-1is biggest under
the minim value of strain condition and at the beginning of
compression.
When H came to about 2.5%, the CT value of AC20-1
began to descend, and it can be seen from Tab.2 and CT
images that the microcracks began to lengthen, bifurcate and
there are a lot s of microcracks began to grow. The testing
result has shown that in continuous loading process, the
crack formed in the previous stage will continuously develop
with the increment of stress and become longer and wider.
On the other hand, the CT value of 2rd scan sections of
AC20-1 had increased a few and there were a few of
microcracks growth. But the CT value of AC20-4 all three
scan sections are still rose. the micro-cracks is continue be
closed.It shows that there are different damage phenomena
under the different temperature.
When % 90 / |
c
V V , in this stage, the CT value of
AC20-1 began to obviously decrease, the microcracks of 1st
scan section continue lengthen the microcracks of 2nd scan
section began to bifurcate, lengthen and nearly penetrate,
many microcracks of the 2rd scan section began to bifurcate.
This stage is the failure omen stage, and it was the stage of
the fastest speed of microcracks evolution. At the same time,
It can be seen from the Fig.4(a) that the CT number of
AC20-1 is more quickly decrease than that of AC20-4. But
the CT value of AC20-4 is began to reduce.
Because of the effect temperature, the values of C and
M of ac20-4 became larger than that of AC20-1, the
capacity of the cracking resistance is higher, so the change of
CT number of AC20-4 is smaller. This fact is showed in
Fig.4(b) that the curve of the variance of CT value is more
comparatively smooth.
When % 100 / |
c
V V , in this stage, the CT value of
AC20-4 is Still much lower. It is Shows that AC20-4 is
belonging to the brittle fracture in this temperature.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This paper is supported by the Guizhou Provinces
Outstanding Young Science & Technology Talents Project
(Z073239).
REFERENCES
[1] C.H.Kim and H-Y.Yeh, Development of a new yielding criterion: the
Yeh-Stratton criterion, Engng Fracture Mech. 47,569-582,1994
[2] M. M. J. Jacobs. Crack Growth in Asphaltic Mixes. Ph.D. Dissertation,
Faculty of Civil Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft,
1995
[3] Yang Gengshe, Zhang Changqing. Rock masses damage and
identification. Xian: Shanxi Science and Technology Press, 1998, 79-
90. (in Chinese)
[4] The Professional Standard of China.Specification for Design of
Highway Asphalt Pavement(JTJ 014-97). Beijing: China
Communications Press,1997.(in Chinese)
[5] Tao XIE. Study on crack propagation behavior of asphalt mixtures
based on CT rael-time observation. Ph.D. Dissertation, School of Civil
Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 2006


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