EFFECT OF AGEING ON POROSITY OF HOT MIX ASPHALT

Abstract

Asphalt ageing due to the action of solar radiation must be considered in the study of the performance of asphalt pavement, especially in Brazil because of its geographical characteristics. The aim of this work is to study asphalt ageing caused by the effect of xenon radiation, by using weathering tests. Sample degradation was evaluated by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results of FTIR indicated an oxidation process of the material, which occurred during exposure in the xenon arc chamber. The area ratio related to the bands of the aliphatic CH/OH and CH/C=O groups and those of the Si-O-Si/OH groups of bitumen decreased after exposure to xenon radiation. The samples were analyzed by using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The porosity of the samples before and after ageing was measured by using the SEM micrographs and the image software Quantikov.