Technical Papers
Sep 22, 2023

Evaluating the Cracking Resistance of the Semiflexible Pavement Mixture Using the Semicircular Bending Test

Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 35, Issue 12

Abstract

Semiflexible pavement (SFP) is attracting increasing interest due to its exceptional load-carrying capacity. However, there is limited understanding of its cracking performance and mechanisms. This study investigated the suitability of the emerging cracking resistance parameters, the flexible index (FI) and cracking resistance index (CRI), derived from the semicircular bending (SCB) test, in elucidating the mid-temperature resistance of SFP mixtures against cracking. The influence of styrene-butadiene-styrene-modified asphalts and styrene-acrylic emulsion/styrene-butadiene rubber-modified cement mortars on the anticrack property of SFP mixtures was also determined. Results indicated a high correlation (R2=0.95) between the FI and CRI of various SFP mixtures, with CRI exhibiting more promise than FI in assessing the fracture resistance of SFP mixtures due to its higher discrimination potential and lower variability. Enhancing the bending strength of cement mortar or increasing the CRI/Nf value of asphalt binder were identified as effective means to improve the anticracking ability of SFP. Therefore, improving the binder toughness of both cement mortar and asphalt is essential for enhancing the performance of SFP against cracking.

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Data Availability Statement

Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial supports from the National Key R&D Program of China (2022YFB2602603), Hong Kong Scholars Program (XJ2022040), National Natural Science Foundation of China (52008353), and Sichuan Youth Science and Technology Innovation Research Team (2021JDTD0023 and 2022JDTD0015).

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Go to Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 35Issue 12December 2023

History

Received: Jan 5, 2023
Accepted: Apr 18, 2023
Published online: Sep 22, 2023
Published in print: Dec 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Feb 22, 2024

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Authors

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Shengxiong Zhou [email protected]
Ph.D. Candidate, School of Civil Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong Univ., Chengdu, Sichuan 610031, China; Highway Engineering Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, Sichuan 610031, China. Email: [email protected]
Jiaxin Wang [email protected]
Master’s Candidate, School of Civil Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong Univ., Chengdu, Sichuan 610031, China; Highway Engineering Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, Sichuan 610031, China. Email: [email protected]
Ph.D. Candidate, School of Science, Chang’an Univ., Xi’an 710064, China. Email: [email protected]
Associate Professor, School of Civil Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong Univ., Chengdu, Sichuan 610031, China; Highway Engineering Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, Sichuan 610031, China (corresponding author). ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7915-1367. Email: [email protected]

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