Virtual strain loading method for low temperature cohesive failure of asphalt binder

Journal of Road Engineering, vol. 3, pp. 300–314

Abstract

Cohesive failure is one of the primary reasons for low-temperature cracking in asphalt pavements. Understanding the micro-level mechanism is crucial for comprehending cohesive failure behavior. However, previous literature has not fully reported on this aspect. Moreover, there has been insufficient attention given to the correlation between macroscopic and microscopic failures. To address these issues, this study employed molecular dynamics simulation to investigate the low-temperature tensile behavior of asphalt binder. By applying virtual strain, the separation work during asphalt binder tensile failure was calculated. Additionally, a correlation between macroscopic and microscopic tensile behaviors was established. Specifically, a quadrilateral asphalt binder model was generated based on SARA fractions. By applying various combinations of virtual strain loading, the separation work at tensile failure was determined. Furthermore, the impact of strain loading combinations on separation work was analyzed. Normalization was employed to establish the correlation between macroscopic and microscopic tensile behaviors. The results indicated that thermodynamic and classical mechanical indicators validated the reliability of the tetragonal asphalt binder model. The strain loading combination consists of strain rate and loading number. All strain loading combinations exhibited the similar tensile failure characteristic. The critical separation strain was hardly influenced by strain loading combination. However, increasing strain rate significantly enhanced both the maximum traction stress and separation work of the asphalt binder. An increment in the loading number led to a decrease in separation work. The virtual strain combination of 0.5%-80 provided a more accurate representation of the actual asphalt's tensile behavior trend.

Authors 7

1. Heyang Ding Aachen Institute of Highway Engineering

   Chang'an University · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Highway Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen D52074, Germany

   School of Highway, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710064, China

   School of Highway, Chang'an University, Xi'an 710064, China

2. Hainian Wang corresponding

   Chang'an University

   Affiliation as printed

   School of Highway, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710064, China

   School of Highway, Chang'an University, Xi'an 710064, China

3. Ziye Ma

   Chang'an University · KTH Royal Institute of Technology

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm 10044, Sweden

   School of Highway, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710064, China

   School of Highway, Chang'an University, Xi'an 710064, China

4. Zhen Leng

   Hong Kong Polytechnic University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China

5. Ponan Feng

   Chang'an University

   Affiliation as printed

   School of Highway, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710064, China

   School of Highway, Chang'an University, Xi'an 710064, China

6. Tangjie Wang

   Chang'an University

   Affiliation as printed

   School of Highway, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710064, China

   School of Highway, Chang'an University, Xi'an 710064, China

7. Xin Qu

   Chang'an University

   Affiliation as printed

   School of Highway, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710064, China

   School of Highway, Chang'an University, Xi'an 710064, China