Structural and Environmental Benefits of Concrete Inlays for Pavement Preservation

Advances in concrete technology have allowed Flowable Fibrous Concrete (FFC) inlays to be an option for pavement preservation through rapid placement, thin-lift construction, durability, and material ductility. By incorporating titanium dioxide (TiO₂) cement, these FFC inlays can also mitigate vehicular greenhouse gas emissions and the Urban Heat Island (UHI) as well as meet structural requirements. A concrete mix incorporating this modified FFC was lab-tested for strength and fracture properties at 7 days and was found to be acceptable for pavement preservation applications. The FFC albedo was measured as 0.26 and the predicted hourly surface temperatures of hypothetically-aged asphalt concrete pavements with and without the FFC inlay were compared over a ten-year period using weather data from Chicago, IL. With a lower surface temperature in 94% of daytime hours, the inlay was effective in mitigating daytime UHI but less effective in nighttime.