Performance Evaluation and Structure Optimization of Low-Emission Mixed Epoxy Asphalt Pavement

Epoxy asphalt concrete (EAC) has excellent properties such as high strength, outstanding thermal stability, and great fatigue resistance, and is considered to be a long-life pavement material. Meanwhile, the low initial viscosity of the epoxy components provides the possibility to reduce the mixing temperature of SBS-modified asphalt. The purpose of this study is to verify the feasibility of low-emission mixing of SBS-modified epoxy asphalt and to compare the mechanical responses in several typical structures with EAC, in order to perform structure optimization for practical applications of EAC. In this paper, the Brookfield rotational viscosity test was conducted to investigate the feasibility of mixing SBS-modified epoxy asphalt at a reduced temperature. Subsequently, the dynamic modulus tests were carried out on EAC to obtain the Prony series in order to provide viscoelastic parameters for the finite element model. Six feasible pavement structures with EAC were proposed, and a finite element method (FEM) model was developed to analyze and compare the mechanical responses with the conventional pavement structure. Additionally, the design life was predicted and compared to comprehensively evaluate the performance of EAC structures. Finally, life cycle assessment (LCA) on carbon emissions was developed to explore the emission reduction effect of the epoxy asphalt pavement. The results indicate that the addition of epoxy components could reduce the mixing temperature of SBS-modified asphalt by 30 °C. The proper use of EAC can significantly improve the mechanical condition of the pavement and improve its performance and service life. It is recommended to choose S5 (with EAC applied in the middle-lower layer) as the optimal pavement structure, whose allowable load repetitions to limit fatigue cracking were more than 1.7 times that of conventional pavements and it has favorable rutting resistance as well. The LCA results show that in a 25-year life cycle, the carbon emissions of epoxy asphalt pavements could be reduced by 29.8% in comparison to conventional pavements.