Performance Assessment of Asphalt Pavement mix Modified by Nano-Silica and Nano-Clay
Abdelzaher E. A. Mostafa1, Waleed M.F. Tawhed2, Mohamed R. Elshahat3
1Abdelzaher E. A. Mostafa, Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Mataria School of Engineering, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt.
2Waleed M. F. Tawhed, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Mataria School of Engineering, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt.
3Mohamed R. Elshahat, Teaching Assistant, Department of Construction Engineering, School of Engineering, Egyptian Russian University, Cairo, Egypt.
Manuscript received on April 07, 2016. | Revised Manuscript received on April 22, 2016. | Manuscript published on April 30, 2016. | PP: 7-11 | Volume-3 Issue-3, April 2016. | Retrieval Number: C0365043316
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© The Authors. Published By: Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering and Sciences Publication (BEIESP). This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Abstract: In recent years, Nano Technology started to be utilized in many civil engineering applications and one emphasis was in highway pavements. Nano-materials are used to improve the quality and behavior of bitumen in different conditions. This research represents the results obtained from an experimental program designed to study the improvement of asphalt mix characteristics when using nano-materials. In this study, the nano-materials used were nano-silica, kaolinite nano-clay, and montmorlinite nano-clay by percents of (1, 3, 5, 7, and 9%) by weight of bitumen. Rheological properties of nano-modified bitumen namely; penetration, softening, flash point, and viscosity were studied. Furthermore, the mechanical properties of asphalt mixes constructed using nano-modified bitumen were studied, namely; stability, flow, compression stress, modulus of elasticity, and indirect tensile strength. From the results, it was observed that using nano-materials improve the rheological properties of bitumen in the form of decrease in penetration by 26% and increase in softening, flash point, and viscosity by 29%, 8%, and 6% respectively. In addition, nano-modified bitumen improves the mechanical properties of asphalt mix in the form of increase in stability, compressive strength, and indirect tensile strength by 37%, 40%, and 90%. Essentially, the recommended optimum percentages of nano -modified bitumen used in asphalt mix are 7% nano-silica, 9% kaolinite nano-clay, and 9% montmorlinite nano-clay.
Keywords: Hot Asphalt Mix; Nano-Materials; Nano-Silica; Nano-Clay.