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Pavement rehabilitation with asphalt reinforcement. Validation of the basic parameters for a long term performance

Abstract

Asphalt reinforcement products manufactured from polyester fibers have successfully been applied in pavement rehabilitation in excess of 40 years. Its outstanding performance assists authorities to reduce maintenance intervals which does not only have economic advantages, it also lowers enviromental impact through the reduced need for exhaustible resources and reduced traffic. Reflective cracking in asphlt pavement is a problem known since the first asphalt pavements were constructed. There are several reasons which cause asphalt to crack. The most poular rehabilitation process is to renew the cracked surface with a new asphalt layer. Depending on the thickness of the new asphalt layer, cracks from the bottom layer will sooner or later propagate to the surface and the pavement will require rehailitation again. The challenge has been to develop a system which can delay or even prevent a crack to propagate to the pavement surface. By the beginning of the 1970s the first asphalt reinforcement system manufactured  from polyester fibers were successfully applied. The paper will provide case histories from 4 decades of continuous research and development of an effective asphalt reinforcement system. Additionally the basic theory and most important parameters for the design will be demonstrated.

Conclusion

The paper has shown that the use of an asphalt reinforcement made of high modulus polyester is an ideal method to delay or even prevent reflective cracking. The high resistance of polyester against installation damage and dynamic loading combined with an effective interlayer bonding and easy installation are key factors for the success of asphalt reinforcement. The project experience and research presented proves that the pavementlife can be increased by a factor of 3 - 4 by using polyester geogrid asphalt reinforcement.