Sustainability of Asphalt Pavement in Terms of CraSustainability of Asphalt Pavement in Terms of Crack Healing Phenomena: A Reviewck Healing Phenomena: A Review

Saad Issa Sarsam

doi:10.3759/ttea.v3i2.2853

Abstract

The Asphalt concrete mixture is considered to have nonlinear viscoelastic behavior, its fatigue life consists of two components, namely the resistance to fracture and crack, and the ability to heal the micro cracks. Both of the processes change with temperature and time. Such processes exhibit the sustainability potential of asphalt concrete pavement. The approach to study this potential requires mechanical tests like creep or relaxation, strength and repeated load tests. Repeated traffic loading causes deterioration to asphalt concrete pavement mixes in terms of micro cracking, and decreases its stiffness. However, due to the crack healing phenomena effect, asphalt mixes are able to demonstrate strength recovery and prolongs the fatigue life of asphalt mixtures. Many studies have been conducted to characterize the asphalt healing and its mechanisms. The aim of this work is to thoroughly understand the cracking and healing mechanisms and to define appropriate laboratory tests, which can be used for a reliable performance-related selection and characterization of the asphalt binders, and the suitable asphalt concrete mixture based on the traffic loading and the environment issues. It was felt that it is essential to evaluate whether or not it is possible to achieve accelerated healing in asphalt mixtures within laboratory conditions, which could represent the actual behavior in the field. It was concluded that the process of healing can be used to balance the damage process, the amount and rate of healing of asphalt cement depend on several properties such as; its healing potential, stiffness, and surface free energy.