Pudaruth Yogendra
Student ID: 1115703
Ageing
Rutting
(or Permanent deformation)
(longitudinal depression that
flows the direction of wheel
path)
How do they occur
There are two types of ageing:
 Irreversible ageing.
This occurs due to oxidation and loss of
volatiles(affected by temperature,
concentration, environment)
 Reversible ageing
This is related to the molecular
arrangements in the Bitumen. With time,
the molecules tend to arrange themselves
in a better packed manner. (this process
can be reversed by action of heat)
Asphalt oxidation and aging occurs over
time to generate less elastic and even
brittle pavements
Rutting is often defined as the permanent
deformation of the asphalt, caused when
stresses on the pavement exceed the
material’s elasticity or ability to recover.
High-energy pavement loading
situations, such as truck traffic and busy
intersections can exacerbate rutting
damage.
Permanent deformation occurs
particularly in hot mixed asphalt
pavement
Relationship to asphalt composition
The more filler (derived from
aggregate or other granular material,
typically <63mm) present in the
bituminous mixture, the less the
bitumen is likely to becoming stiff.
The addition of filer improves
adhesion and cohesion forces within
the bituminous material.
(Increasing the content indicates a smaller
decrease in penetration a smaller increase in the
softening point and smaller increase in the
bitumen indicator that ,aging is less)
Hydrated lime reduces the rate of
asphalt pavement aging by slowing
the oxidation of many types of
bitumen
Use of additives such as polymers,
crump rubber, graphite powder and
fiber help to combat rutting and
fatigue cracks.
These additives increase the amount
of strain energy absorbed and thus
enhance the asphalt characteristics
against permanent deformation.
Use of hydrated lime also increases
resistance to rutting and fatigue
cracking. It is chemically active and
help to remove undesirable
components and thus makes the
asphalt stiffer and tougher at high
temperatures. Henceforth the asphalt
mix becomes
more resistant to rutting and
fatigue cracking

Fatigue cracking
(alligator cracks) This mainly due to the increase in the
number of vehicles particularly those
with high axle loads, due to the
environmental conditions and also due to
construction and design errors.
Fatigue cracks usually initiates in the
form of microcracks and proceed to
macrocracks, these cracks grow due to
shear and tensile stresses in road
pavement.
Thermal cracking
Thermal cracks are fractures that occurs
due to lack of flexibility at low
temperatures
Moisture cracking
Moisture-induced damage of pavements
occurs when the physical bond strength
between the bitumen and the aggregates
is weakened by the infiltration of
moisture.
This results in a wide variety of
pavement failure symptoms such as
stripping, raveling, pothole, etc.
Reference:
wikianswers ,
seminarproject.com,
academicjournals.org ,
European Lime Association
Pudaruth Yogendra
Student ID: 1115703
Use of additives such as polymers,
crump rubber, graphite powder and
fiber help to combat rutting and
fatigue cracks.
These additives increase the amount
of strain energy absorbed and thus
enhance the asphalt characteristics
against permanent deformation.
Use of hydrated lime also increases
resistance to rutting and fatigue
cracking (this is explained above
gird)
The use of thicker asphalt also helps
to combat fatigue cracking.
Using additives such as fibers and
polymers in asphalt
mixture can also be a solution to low
temperature cracking
Additives such as fibers absorb the
amount of distresses imposed by
repetitive heavy traffic loading during
pavement life.
When hydrated lime is added to
asphalt, it reacts with the aggregate to
form a stronger bond with the
bitumen.
Hydrated lime reacts with highly
polar molecules
in the bitumen, blocking the
formation of water-soluble
soaps(these soaps result in weaker
bond strength, and thus contribute to
moisture damage).
Instead, lime promotes the formation
of insoluble calcium-based salts that
do not attract water into the system.