| EPSRC Reference: |
EP/I03646X/1 |
| Title: |
Micro-Mechanical Interpretation of Moisture Induced Damage in Asphalt |
| Principal Investigator: |
Collop, Professor AC |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Researcher Co-Investigators: |
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| Project Partners: |
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| Department: |
Faculty of Technology |
| Organisation: |
De Montfort University |
| Scheme: |
Standard Research |
| Starts: |
09 January 2012 |
Ends: |
08 January 2015 |
Value (£): |
475,837
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
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| EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
| Construction |
Transport Systems and Vehicles |
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| Related Grants: |
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| Panel History: |
| Panel Date | Panel Name | Outcome |
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08 Jun 2011
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Process Environment & Sustainability
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Announced
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
The motorway and trunk road system in England has a total length of over 12,000 km and an asset value of £60bn. Extrapolating this to the whole of the UK road network of some 400,000 km and allowing for the much lower value per km of non-motorway/trunk roads gives a total highway asset worth some £600bn. Maintaining and rehabilitating this asset, while at the same time sustaining undisturbed traffic flows, has placed increased emphasis on the need for high-performance and increasingly more durable pavement materials. The majority of roads in the UK and throughout the world are constructed using asphalt mixtures with over 340 million tonnes being produced in Europe in 2007.
The most important factor influencing the durability of asphalt mixtures is the presence of water in the pavement structure and the detrimental effect that water has on the properties of the mixture. Moisture-induced damage is an extremely complicated mode of distress that leads to the loss of stiffness and structural strength of the asphalt and eventually to the costly failure of the road structure. An improved understanding of moisture-induced damage in asphalt and more moisture resistant materials could have a significant impact on road maintenance expenditure, particularly where rainfall is predicted to increase due to global warming.
In this project, for the first time, the micro-mechanical processes that result in moisture induced damage at meso- and macro-scale in asphaltic pavements, will be analysed in a comprehensive manner in which both cohesive and adhesive types of damage will be addressed and evaluated as a function of the physio-chemical characteristics of the components of the asphalt mix.
This project will involve the use of X-Ray CT to characterise the internal microstructure of the asphalt, the development of tools for the processing and conversion of these images into accurate 3D finite element meshes which will then be ised in a Finite Element simultion to investigate moisture damage in asphalt. A significant experimental programme will be required to determine the mechanical properties of the asphalt mixture components (and interfaces between the components) required by the FE analysis.
From the combined experimental and computational analyses it will become possible to reach unprecedented insight into the dominant parameters controlling moisture induced damage in asphaltic mixes. On the basis of the conclusions of the combined numerical-experimental studies, recommendations for practise shall be drafted focused on the improvement of the moisture resistance of typical asphalt mixtures and contributing thus to the sustainability of the UK road network.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.dmu.ac.uk |