Evaluation of moisture susceptibility of hot mix asphalt (original) (raw)

The infrastructure construction in Indonesia has been extensively growing, especially the construction of new road networks to connect major cities. Road pavement is an expensive infrastructure, and hence, it is important to ensure that the pavement layers can last until its designed lifetime. Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) pavement is one of the most commonly used type of pavement. However, the HMA pavements are often found with water-related distresses at an early stage, and hence, the pavement will not be able to last, while Indonesia is a tropical country and has a relatively high groundwater level in some major cities. Therefore, it is necessary to study an additive that could help in improving the moisture susceptibility of HMA layers. This study aims to provide an evaluation of moisture susceptibility of HMA pavements with the addition of waterproofing additives, including Wetfix-BE, and Wetbond-SP. Three tests were conducted to assess the moisture susceptibility, which are Marshall, Cantabro Loss, and Indirect Tensile Strength tests. It was found that both additives worked well in helping the HMA samples to be more resistant to water, although the samples with the additional of Wetbond-SP had a better performance than the samples with Wetfix-BE added.