Investigating the mechanical properties of carbon fibre-reinforced asphalt concrete

For many years, asphalt concrete has been used as the basic material for pavement engineering. Hence improving the quality of asphalt concrete for better performance and to last longer has remained an interesting area for researchers. Although various kinds of fibres and polymers have been used widely reinforced in asphalt concrete, fibres due to their exclusive characteristics have attracted much attention. It is realised that the well-distributed fibres create a network in the internal structure of the composite, resulting in asphalt concrete that is more tightened. In the present paper, an approach was developed to mix carbon fibres and bitumen which guarantees the uniform fibre distribution. Subsequently, to find out the best set of fibre lengths and dose of usage aimed at fortifying asphalt concrete, Marshall's stability and fatigue property of carbon fibre-reinforced asphalt concrete were investigated. Then, indirect tensile stiffness modulus and fatigue properties under different stresses and permanent deformation of modified and unmodified samples at two different temperatures (35 degrees C and 60 degrees C) were studied. Comparing the obtained results indicated that addition of carbon fibres to the asphalt concrete considerably increases the mechanical performance, which benefits all the corresponding fields involved such as repair and maintenance.