Development and Laboratory Evaluation of a Cold Mix High-Early-Strength Epoxy Asphalt Concrete for Steel Bridge Deck Pavements

Epoxy asphalt concrete (EAC) is a widely used steel bridge deck pavement (SBDP) material. Due to the curing reaction, the EAC-based material needs a long curing period before opening to traffic, which in an inconvenience in the construction of SBDP. This study developed a cold mix high-early-strength (CHES) epoxy asphalt through the design of a compatilizer and curing agent system. The optimum formula of CHES epoxy asphalt was determined through a series of laboratory tests. By comparison of the performances of CHES EAC and some conventional EACs for SBDP, it was found that the developed CHES epoxy asphalt can significantly reduce the curing period, and the pavement performance of CHES EAC is, overall, excellent for application in SBDP. In addition, the sufficient allowable construction duration shows that the CHES EAC has a good construction workability.