Evaluation of sound absorption capacity of asphalt mixtures

Noise generation is an environmental problem that affects human beings, animals and even plants. Several serious diseases have their development associated to the exposure of human beings to high levels of noise pressure, such as arterial hypertension, gastrointestinal changes, alterations in blood glucose and high heart rate, among others. Vehicle traffic is part of a group of noise-generating factors. Various mechanisms govern the generation and propagation of vehicle noises, which are produced mainly by motor vibration at speeds below 50 km/h and by the tire-pavement contact at speeds above 50 km/h. The noise generated by tire-pavement contact is the result of two components: aerodynamic noise (mainly related to the coating porosity), and mechanical noise (related to the coating texture). The noise generation according to these two components may be mitigated by using special asphalt mixtures. This work evaluates the sound absorption of four different types of asphalt mixtures (common dense-graded asphalt mixture, dense-graded rubberized asphalt mixture, rubberized porous coat with void volumes varying from 22% to 27%, and rubberized open-graded friction course) and the effect of granulometry and void volume of each mixture on the sound absorption coefficient. Mixture slabs were molded in a slab compactor developed by LCPC (Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussées) and specimens were extracted from each one for assessing the sound absorption capacity in the laboratory. The acoustic behavior was evaluated according to standard ISO 10534-2, using impedance tubes. Results showed that sound absorption is strongly influenced by void percentage, interconnected void percentage and layer thickness.     

The solvent extraction is a potential choice to recover asphalt from unconventional oil ores

The abundant unconventional oil ores (about 70% of total world oil) are playing an increasingly important role in global energy supply. To obtain asphalt in unconventional oil ores, different methods, including hot water-based extraction, pyrolysis and solvent extraction, were used to recover asphalt from oil ores (i.e., Canadian, Indonesian, and Iranian oil ores). It is found that asphalt recovery obtained by solvent extraction is the highest. Multi-staged single solvent extraction was used to recover asphalt from oil ores (i.e., toluene, tetrahydrofuran: THF, xylene, petroleum: PE, ethanol), resulting in a cumulative asphalt recovery over 98% at ambient conditions by using toluene. Take Iranian oil ores with the highest oil content (83.79 wt%) as an example, great asphalt recovery was obtained by using multi-staged composite solvents extraction (i.e., toluene@xylene, toluene@THF, toluene@PE, toluene@ethanol). It is also found that introduction of toluene in the composite solvents can significantly increase the ability of single solvent’s (xylene, THF, PE and ethanol) asphalt recovery. After solvent extraction, the solvent recovery was more than 95%. This finds suggest that solvent extraction method would be potential choice to recover asphalt from unconventional oil ores, and it possesses great prospect of industrial application in the future.     

Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in fractions in asphalt mixtures using liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization

An analytical method using liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in asphalt fractions has been developed. The 14 compounds determined, characterized by having two or more condensed aromatic rings, are expected to be present in asphalt and are considered carcinogenic and mutagenic. The parameters of the atmospheric pressure chemical ionization interface were optimized to obtain the highest possible sensitivity for all of the compounds. The limits of detection ranged from 0.5 to 346.5 μg/L and the limits of quantification ranged from 1.7 to 1550 μg/L. The method was validated against a diesel particulate extract standard reference material (NIST SRM 1975), and the obtained concentrations agreed with the certified values. The method was applied to asphalt samples after its fractionation according to ASTM D4124 and the method of Green. The concentrations of the seven polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons quantified in the sample ranged from 0.86 mg/kg for benzo[ghi]perylene to 98.32 mg/kg for fluorene.     

Determination of oxygen and nitrogen derivatives of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in fractions of asphalt mixtures using liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization

Liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization was used for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon derivatives, the oxygenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, formed in asphalt fractions. Two different methods have been developed for the determination of five oxygenated and seven nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that are characterized by having two or more condensed aromatic rings and present mutagenic and carcinogenic properties. The parameters of the atmospheric pressure chemical ionization interface were optimized to obtain the highest possible sensitivity for all compounds. The detection limits of the methods ranged from 0.1 to 57.3 μg/L for nitrated and from 0.1 to 6.6 μg/L for oxygenated derivatives. The limits of quantification were in the range of 4.6–191 μg/L for nitrated and 0.3–8.9 μg/L for oxygenated derivatives. The methods were validated against a diesel particulate extract standard reference material (National Institute of Standards and Technology SRM 1975), and the obtained concentrations (two nitrated derivatives) agreed with the certified values. The methods were applied in the analysis of asphalt samples after their fractionation into asphaltenes and maltenes, according to American Society for Testing and Material D4124, where the maltenic fraction was further separated into its basic, acidic, and neutral parts following the method of Green. Only two nitrated derivatives were found in the asphalt sample, quinoline and 2‐nitrofluorene, with concentrations of 9.26 and 2146 mg/kg, respectively, whereas no oxygenated derivatives were detected.     

Calculation of the dynamic response of a viscoelastic railway structure based on a quasi-stationary approach

A semi-analytical method has been developed for computing the dynamic response of railways composed of viscoelastic layers under moving loads. One of the aims of this new approach is to be able to simulate railways incorporating asphalt materials. These materials are increasingly used or highly considered for construction projects. We have modeled the mechanical behavior of bituminous mixes with the Huet–Sayegh thermo-sensitive viscoelastic law that is specifically intended for such materials. This method, implemented in a numerical program, is based on a quasi-stationary approach, so that time is not a specific factor in the solution. The required calculation time is therefore small, for the convenience of parametric studies. The capability of this method is proved with a numerical example that provides several validation points and illustrates at the same time the temperature effect on the response of a railway including an asphalt layer.     

Microstructural modeling of asphalt concrete using a coupled moisture–mechanical constitutive relationship

The coupled effect of moisture diffusion and mechanical loading on the microstructure of asphalt concrete is studied. The traditional Continuum Damage Mechanics (CDM) framework is modified to model detrimental effects of moisture and mechanical loading. Adhesive/cohesive moisture-induced damage constitutive relationships are proposed to describe the time-dependent degradation of material properties due to moisture. X-ray two-dimensional (2D) computed tomography-imaging technique is used to construct finite element (FE) microstructural representation of a typical dense-graded asphalt concrete. After being calibrated against pull-off experiments, the proposed moisture-induced damage constitutive relationship, which is coupled to thermo-viscoelastic–viscoplastic–viscodamage mechanisms, is used to simulate the microstructure of asphalt concrete. Simulation results demonstrate that the generated 2D FE microstructural representation along with the coupled moisture–mechanical constitutive relationship can be effectively used to model the overall thermo-hygro-mechanical response of asphalt concrete.     

Developing a Durable Quiet Road Surface

Road traffic noise can have a significant impact on the quality of life for residents close to major road networks. One of the most effective measures for reducing the noise from road traffic, particularly on high-speed roads, is to ensure the use of a low noise road surface. Research on pavement construction and the measurement of its acoustic properties has shown that significant noise reductions can be achieved through the use of certain road surface types. However certain low noise road surfaces do not exhibit the desired durability associated with more traditional pavements, leading to costly and disruptive maintenance regimes.
This article looks at the mechanisms involved in tyre/road noise generation and how these interact with various road surface properties including a brief overview of some common surface types. It then goes on to explain how these concepts informed the development of an asphalt surfacing material with enhanced durability and good acoustic performance without compromising safety. Progress in testing the resulting Premium Asphalt Surfacing System (PASS) is outlined, including the completion of a successful network trial.     

Synthesis of spherical LiFePO4/C via Ni doping

Spherical LiFePO₄/C powders were synthesized by the conventional solid-state reaction method via Ni doping. Low-cost asphalt was used as both the reduction agent and the carbon source. An Ni-doped spherical LiFePO₄/C composite exhibited better electrochemical performances compared to an un-doped one. It presented an initial discharge capacity of 161 mAhg⁻¹ at 0.1 C rate (the theoretical capacity of LiFePO₄ with 5 wt% carbon is about 161 mAhg⁻¹). After 50 cycles at 0.5 C rate, its capacity remained 137 mAhg⁻¹ (100% of the initial capacity) compared to 115 mAhg⁻¹ (92% of the initial capacity) for an un-doped one. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis and cyclic voltammograms results revealed that Ni doping could decrease the resistance of LiFePO₄/C composite electrode drastically and improve its reversibility.     

Three dimensional analytical solution for finite circular cylinders subjected to indirect tensile test

This paper derives a new three-dimensional (3-D) analytical solution for the indirect tensile tests standardized by ISRM (International Society for Rock Mechanics) for testing rocks, and by ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) for testing concretes. The present solution for solid circular cylinders of finite length can be considered as a 3-D counterpart of the classical two dimensional (2-D) solutions by Hertz in 1883 and by Hondros in 1959. The contacts between the two steel diametral loading platens and the curved surfaces of a cylindrical specimen of length H and diameter D are modeled as circular-to-circular Hertz contact and straight-to-circular Hertz contact for ISRM and ASTM standards respectively. The equilibrium equations of the linear elastic circular cylinder of finite length are first uncoupled by using displacement functions, which are then expressed in infinite series of some combinations of Bessel functions, hyperbolic functions, and trigonometric functions. The applied tractions are expanded in Fourier–Bessel series and boundary conditions are used to yield a system of simultaneous equations. For typical rock cylinders of 54 mm diameter subjected to ISRM indirect tensile tests, the contact width is in the order of 2 mm (or a contact angle of 4°) whereas for typical asphalt cylinders of 101.6 mm diameter subjected to ASTM indirect tensile tests the contact width is about 10 mm (or a contact angle of 12°). For such contact conditions, 50 terms in both Fourier and Fourier–Bessel series expansions are found sufficient in yielding converged solutions. The maximum hoop stress is always observed within the central portion on a circular section close to the flat end surfaces. The difference in the maximum hoop stress between the 2-D Hondros solution and the present 3-D solution increases with the aspect ratio H/D as well as Poisson’s ratio ν. When contact friction is neglected, the effect of loading platen stiffness on tensile stress in cylinders is found negligible. For the aspect ratio of H/D = 0.5 recommended by ISRM and ASTM, the error in tensile strength may be up to 15% for both typical rocks and asphalts, whereas for longer cylinders with H/D up to 2 the error ranges from 15% for highly compressible materials, and to 60% for nearly incompressible materials. The difference in compressive radial stress between the 2-D Hertz solution or 2-D Hondros solution and the present 3-D solution also increases with Poisson’s ratio and aspect ratio H/D. In summary, the 2-D solution, in general, underestimates the maximum tensile stress and cannot predict the location of the maximum hoop stress which typically locates close to the end surfaces of the cylinder.     

超声波传感器在摊铺机自动调平控制系统中的应用

针对摊铺机自动调平控制系统对测距精度的较高要求,设计了一种具有较高精度的基于超声波传感器的测距系统。实验结果表明,在常用的测距范围内,静态测距精度可达1mm。介绍了测距系统的原理以及系统的软、硬件实现方法。