Self Healing Asphalt Concrete Pavement

Zahra Nur Alia

Jurusan Teknik Sipil, Politeknik Negeri Bandung, Bandung 40012
E-mail : zahra.nur.tpjj15@polban.ac.id

ABSTRACT

Extending the service life of an asphalt surface layer is always a continuing desire. This
can be done by improving the quality of the product when laying. Another possibility is to
upgrade the quality throughout the service life. This is the method to Self Healing Asphalt.
The aging of asphalt under weather and traffic is associated with the formation of micro
cracks in the mortar fraction. By adding a conductive material in the asphalt production,
such as steel wool fibres, the possibility arises of heating up the mortar of the asphalt by an
induction device. A short "heat shot" through the steel fibres, causes melting of the
bituminous binder and because of that, hairline cracks in the asphalt layer are closed. The
asphalt mixture will "reset" and start a new life. This can be doneseveral times during the
service life. In The Netherlands from 2010 several tracks have been laid with Self Healing
Asphalt. In 2014 also the first healing action on site was carried out. The results are
promising. This development for instance opens new ways to a broader application of
noise-reducing road surfaces. These surfaces are susceptible to damage from twisting
movement of traffic and therefore cannot be applied to many projects. By providing the
most critical locations with Self Healing Asphalt the quality during the life can be
maintained by periodic induction action. Also, making noisy expansion joints noiseless,
this material can play an important role.

1. INTRODUCTION pavements that utilize these binders. Although

Nations from all over the world are continually considerable improvements in the
trying to discover and extract crude oil from characterization of asphalt binders and
new sources. As a result, there is a high performance prediction of asphalt mixtures have
variability in the physical and chemical been achieved in last two decades, there are still
properties of crude oil and even higher several challenges that need to be addressed.
variability in the residue after distillation such as One such challenge is being able to accurately
asphalt binder. Owing to the high variability and understand and quantify the role of self healing
extremely complex physical and chemical nature in asphalt binders and mixture
of asphalt binders, it is challenging for the
pavement and transportation industry to The performance of an asphalt mixture can be
accurately predict the performance of flexible assessed based on its resistance to various
modes of distress such as fatigue cracking,
permanent deformation, and moisture damage.
One of the important factors that dictate the
resistance of an asphalt mixture to fatigue
cracking is the healing characteristic of the
asphalt binder. Healing, in this context, can be
briefly defined as the process by which the crack
growth in asphalt binders or mixtures, which
occurs due to repeated loading, is partially or
completely reversed. For example, cracks may
develop in an asphalt mixture due to the
repeated loads from passage of vehicles.
However, if the pavement is allowed to remain
without any external load or vehicles for
sufficient time, these cracks can reverse on their
own due to the self healing nature of the asphalt
binders. Thus, understanding the healing
characteristics of asphalt binders allows us to
optimize the use of asphalt mixtures in an
economical way.
After some years, asphalt binder is degraded by
environmental factors until it loses the ability to
bind the surface particles together. This results
in cracks which allow damaging moisture into
the lower pavement levels-creating surface
roughness, pot holes, degradation and eventual
structural failure. At the present, there are no
solutions to close cracks in the pavement.
Occasionally, when signs of ageing are visible, a
sealant that protects asphalt surfaces from
environmental degradation and moisture
penetration is applied to the surface. Other
times, asphalt rejuvenators, with the capability
of changing the chemical composition of
bitumen, are applied to the surface. All these
procedures can increase the lifetime of asphalt
for several years before rehabilitation or
reconstruction is required, but they have the
disadvantage that they only work in the first
centimeters from the surface and them can
reduce sliding resistance.
The second approach we are following consists
in heating the asphalt with induction energy to
increase its healing rate. The first prerequisite of
induction heating is that the heated material
must be conductive. In many previous studies it
has been demonstrated how it is possible to
make asphalt or concrete conductive by adding
electrically conductive fillers and fibers. The
secondprerequisite is that these fillers and fibers
are connected in closed-loop circuits. In Figure
3 ascheme of the system behavior is shown.
First a microcrack appears in the bitumen. If
enough volume of conductive fibers or fillers is
added they will form closed-loops circuits all
around the microcrack. Then, if this
magnetically susceptible and electrically
conductive material is placed in the vicinity of a
coil, eddy currents are induced in the closed-
loops circuits, with the same frequency of the
magnetic field. Heat is generated through the
energy lost when eddy currents meet with
 the resistance of the material and, finally, tiny steel wool fragments. Steel wool fiber is
bitumen is melted and the crack is closed. supposed to heat up the asphalt when subjected
to microwave radiation. Upon heating, the
2. THE BENEFITS OF SELF HEALING asphalt melts and the cracks are filled again,
ASPHALT PAVEMENT
holding the aggregate together, basically fixing
2.1 Easier Heating Induction the road cracks and potholes, and extending the
Erik Schlangen is a Civil Engineering life of the material and the infrastructure.
professor at Delft University of Technology in
2.2 Lowering Cost
the Netherlands. He’s the pioneer and chair of
Experimental Micromechanics. His areas of Schlangen points out that regular asphalt roads

research focus on durability mechanics and remain good condition for seven to ten years. It

“self-healing” materials. His self-healing takes longer to really see differences. It’s

asphalt is supposed to make roads heal by estimated that self-healing asphalt would cost

themselves with the help of microwaves. about 25% more than regular asphalt but could
save the Netherlands €90 million of repairs and

Most Dutch roads are made with porous related activities if all roads are made with it.

asphalt. The spaces in the road structure absorb

2.3 Energi Source
sound and water, making roads in the
Another benefit with the steel fiber-asphalt mix
Netherlands, quieter and dryer than the ones
is that the steel fibers allow for information to
built with more solid asphalt or bitumen
be sent to the road and would make it possible
materials. There’s a downside to the spaces
to charge electric cars while they’re on the
though. They make the road structure prone to
road. Schlangen adds, “This is early, but we are
erosion and weathering. These gaps lead to
going to make some trials in front of traffic
microscopic crack formation that hold the
lights, where the idea is that you can charge
aggregates together, which results to
your car a bit while waiting in traffic”
progressive “ravelling” (like potholes and
loose stones) that damage road vehicles.

2.4 Disatvantages
Schlangen’s self-healing asphalt would make
Although, there is a general consensus that
the pavement easier to heat by induction. His
healing in asphalt binder has a significant
idea of road material is a mix of asphalt and
impact on the performance of asphalt mixtures,
there is very limited work done to fully
understand and quantify the intrinsic healing
mechanism of asphalt binders. Most of the
laboratory tests conducted using asphalt
binders or composites provide an ad-hoc
comparison of the healing characteristics for
different materials. Typically, healing in an
asphalt composite is quantified by subjecting
the test specimen to some form of cyclic
loading and then determining the relative
increase in performance (such as dissipated
pseudo strain energy) before and after a rest
period in between the load cycles. The results
from such tests are extremely useful to provide
evidence of healing and relative ranking of the
propensity for different materials to heal.
However, the disadvantage is that these tests
are highly dependent on the nature of the
applied load, duration of rest period, and
intervals between load cycles in which the rest
period is provided. Consequently, the results
from these tests cannot be used directly to
model the performance of asphalt pavement
structures that are subjected to different loading
and environmental conditions. In order to better
relate the laboratory test results to the field
performance, it is important to understand the
mechanism of self healing in asphalt binders as
well as develop a simple test method to
determine the intrinsic healing characteristics
of different asphalt binders. Given the complex
physical and chemical composition of asphalt
binders, it is unlikely that a single parameter
can be used to describe and quantify the
healing in binders. This research comprises of
two major tasks. The first was to develop a
simple test method to determine the intrinsic
rate of healing of an asphalt binder. The
intrinsic rate of healing or intrinsic healing
function, R(t), may be simply defined as the
relationship between gain of strength of two
completely wetted crack surfaces as a
percentage of strength of the virgin material
over time. In this study, a test method using the
Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR) was
developed in order to determine the intrinsic
healing function for different asphalt binders.
3. APPLICATION
3.1 Roads With Self Healing Asphalt Pavement
Currently, the asphalt mix is being tested on 12
different Dutch roads. Self healing Asphalt
Pavement are applicated on the A58 near
Vlissingen, A348 at Rheden, intersection
crossing area of the Grootvenstraat at Tilburg,
on a provincial road: The N302 at Harderwijk.
3.2 Practical Methods
Up until now, there have been several field
applications already realized. These can be
 divided into several different kinds of effect at the service life is not quantifiable
application. due to the fact that the roads surface was
only three years old. Further information
3.2.1 Single as well as double layered porous
you’ll find at the Selfhealing blogspot of
asphalt (ZOAB and 2L-ZOAB or
TU Delft
Twinlay)
3.2.2 Silent Joints
The Self-Healing technique has been
applied both on single layered porous The name “BrainJoint” stands for Buried
asphalt as well as double layered porous Reinforced Asphalt Interlayer Noiseless
asphalt. It concerns the most common Joint. It is a type of silent, noise reducing
applications, where the aim is to achieve a ‘jointless’ joint that can be used within the
longer life. There are also applications limitations of certain specifications. See for
beings prepared in which Self-Healing more information the multiple choice
porous asphalt or Self-Healing two layered matrix of Rijkswaterstaat (Dutch agency of
porous asphalt is used in situations where a the Department of Public Works).
short lifespan is expected under normal
circumstances, such as road bends with By using the BrainJoint at places such as
small radius or on entry / exit ramps at road bridges with an asphalt surface layer,
intersections etc. the irritating pulse noise of normal
expansion joints can be completely
eliminated. In certain situations the
application of this new type of joint is
highly desirable (for instance in the near
vicinity of habitation areas). However, the
bridge or viaduct may in some cases fall
Figure 1: Paving Self-healing Porous Asphalt on the A58
near Vlissingen and the first healing action after three outside the previously mentioned
years
specifications (such as a bridge span length
In the meantime the first healing action has that is too large) – thus making it impossible
already taken place at this test track. The to apply the benefits of the BrainJoint. By
results are very promising. The surface can producing the specialized asphalt surface
be heated in de expected time. Although the
 layer for the BrainJoint as a Self-Healing
version with steel fibers, any
potential cracks in the asphalt mastic
(caused by the greater than designed
movements of the bridge deck) can then be
healed over time and thus be managed. It
concerns a very local healing treatment
(limited to the near vicinity of the bridge
deck) that can be performed more
frequently, for example once every 2 years.
To this application end, a total of four
locations have already been provided with
this Self-Healing version of the
BrainJoint.
3.2.3 Application of Thin Porous Asphalt Layers
(DGD’s) at Difficult Locations
In a number of situations the Self-Healing
technique has been applied to a Thin Noise
Reducing Asphalt Layer. In this case it was
Microflex (a DGD of Heijmans). It has been
applied in situations where the application
of a normal DGD would simply & certainly
lead to a (much) too short a life span. In the
municipality of Tilburg the Self-Healing
DGD has for example been applied even
within the crossing area of intersections. It
concerns a route nearby an industrial area
with heavy traffic. For years it has been a
well discussed topic within the Dutch field
of civil engineering expertise concerning
silent roads: can a DGD be continued unto
the crossing area of an intersection?
Because of the continuity of the road’s
imagery as well as desired noise reduction
capability of the road, it can be preferable to
do so.
By applying the Self-Healing DGD on the
crossing areas of the intersection and the
normal DGD version on the straight
stretches in between this crossings, an
optimal technical and economical solution
can be offered. Visually there is no
difference between the two mixtures and
they can both be constructed with one
continuous paving operation. The critical
locations on the crossroads can be kept on
the desired quality level by healing
treatments. The healing treatments can be
planned through monitoring and registering
certain indicators. Another typical
application took place in the city of
Enschede. It concerns a very busy access
road alongside an industrial area with a
large number of heavy vehicle passages.
Due to a nearby residential area, a noise
reducing road surface was more than
desirable.
However, due to the heavy traffic load on
this road, a road surface of standard thin
 (semi-) porous asphalt would only have a
short lifespan. By applying the Self-Healing
DGD version, a "match" could be found
between noisereduction and durability
Figure 2: Self Healing Microflex being applied on
the intersection crossing area of the
Grootvenstraat at Tilburg
3. CONCLUSION
Significant evidence exists in the literature that
healing has a substantial effect on the performance
of asphalt mixtures and consequently on the
serviceable life of asphalt pavements.
incorporation of the healing mechanism in tandem
with the crack growth mechanism is necessary for
comprehensive modeling of the fatigue or fracture
processes in asphalt mixtures.
The above described application shows that the use
of Self Healing Asphalt in practice is possible. It
can be a solution for areas with dense traffic and
with a strong need for noise reduction. Even the
first experiments of a healing action has taken
place. However the economic effect has to be
validated. Because of the expensive addition of
steel fibers, it’s still not clear that these applications
are economically justifiable.For future use also the
possibility of recycling is an important issue.
Because the material remains a thermoplastic
material it can be recycled in the same way as
normal asphalt. Preferable of course in a new Self-
Healing pavement.
LITERATURE
Bochove, Gerbert van. 2016. “Self Healing
Asphalt - Extending the service life by
induction heating of Asphalt”
Bochove, Gerbert van. Q. Liu , and Erik
Schlangen. 2013. “The First Engineered
Self-Healing Asphalt Road; How Is It
Performing?”
Bommavaram, Ramamohan Reddy. (2008)
Evaluation of Healing on Asphalt Binders
The Using Dynamic Shear Rheometer and
Molecular Modeling Techniques. Master
Thesis, Texas A&M University.
Garcia, Avalo, Erik Schlangen, Martin van de
Ven. 2013. “Two Ways of Closing Cracks
on Asphalt Concrete Pavements:
Microcapsules and Induction Heating.”
Goubau, Thomas. “Dutch Materials Scientist
Makes Self-Healing Roads”
https://www.aproplan.com/blog/constructi
on-news/dutch-materials-scientist-makes-
self-healing-roads