Faculty Publications

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    Comparison of Stone Matrix Asphalt mixtures with polymer-modified bitumen and shredded waste plastics
    (Taylor and Francis Ltd. michael.wagreich@univie.ac.at, 2016) Goutham, G.; Lekha, B.M.; Krishna, G.; Ravi Shankar, A.U.
    Stone Matrix Asphalt (SMA) is a gap-graded bituminous mixture characterised with its improved rut resistance and durability. It has comparatively higher proportion of coarse aggregates and binder mastic with bituminous binder and mineral filler. Drain down of mastic content at various stages of construction is a common issue with SMA, and generally, some fibre additives are used to stabilise the mixture or a modified bitumen is used as the binder material. In this study, shredded waste plastics (SWP) are used instead of other stabilising additives, to prepare SMA mixtures with conventional viscosity graded (VG) 30 bitumen. Mixtures were prepared with four different levels of SWP content, and another mixture without any stabilisers was also prepared using polymer-modified bitumen (PMB). Specimens were prepared in superpave gyratory compactor (SGC) for all mixtures at different bitumen contents to determine volumetric and Marshall properties, and optimum bitumen content (OBC) was calculated for each mixture. Tensile strength, moisture susceptibility, rutting resistance and fatigue behaviour were also determined for all mixtures at corresponding OBC. From the available results, the optimum level of SWP in SMA mixture was determined as 8% by weight of bitumen. The study showed that even though mixture with PMB performed the best, SMA with 8% SWP provided comparable results. Based on the present investigation, waste plastic in suitable dosage can be recommended in SMA, instead of a stabilising additive. © 2015 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
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    Evaluation of properties of nonfoaming Warm mix asphalt mixtures at lower working temperatures
    (American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) onlinejls@asce.org, 2017) Shiva Kumar, G.; Suresha, S.N.
    Warm mix asphalt (WMA) is a green technology which has the potential to replace hot mix asphalt (HMA) because it reduces greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption by lowering the temperature at which asphalt mixtures are produced and placed. During the design process, evaluation of the mix design and mechanical properties of WMA mixtures is necessary. Therefore, the ability to quantify compactability would be very useful. This paper presents details on the evaluation of asphalt mix design, workability, and mechanical properties of asphalt mixtures modified with nonfoaming WMA additives at lower working (mixing and compaction) temperatures. Further, it seeks to provide a wider gap between mixing and compaction temperatures to ensure that WMA mixtures are suitable for longer haul distances. Asphalt mix design properties were evaluated by the Superpave method for various design gyrations (Ndes), and workability properties were evaluated in terms of Superpave gyratory compactor (SGC) densification indices using the Bahia and locking point methods. Mechanical properties such as resistance to moisture-induced damage were evaluated by the tensile strength ratio (TSR) approach, rutting resistance was evaluated by a laboratory wheel tracking test using a wheel rut tester (WRT), and flexural fatigue characteristics were evaluated by four point bending using a repeated load testing (RLT) machine. The effects of nominal maximumaggregate size (NMAS), working temperature, and type of mixture on the properties ofWMAmixtures were investigated. The experimental results were statistically analyzed to identify the major influencing factors and their significance. © 2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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    State of the art review on mix design and mechanical properties of warm mix asphalt
    (Taylor and Francis Ltd. michael.wagreich@univie.ac.at, 2019) Shiva Kumar, G.; Suresha, S.N.
    Warm mix asphalt (WMA) is a high-speed emerging technology of producing asphalt mixture at lower temperature with equivalent performance of hot mix asphalt (HMA). It offers benefits such as energy savings, compaction aid for stiffer mixes, reduces emission, and reduces asphalt binder aging during production. This paper is an overview of mix design concept, mix design properties and mechanical properties (moisture-induced damage, rutting resistance and fatigue life) of WMA and same was compared with the properties of control HMA mixtures. Review indicates that mix design concept of WMA is similar to that of control HMA and possesses better mix design properties. Regarding mechanical properties, WMA mixtures were found more prone to moisture-induced damage, rutting and fatigue than control HMA mixtures due to lower production temperature but similar or better resistance were noticed with the use of modified and higher grade binders, addition of anti-stripping agents (ASA) and hydrated lime (HL), use of open graded mix and inclusion of recycled asphalt pavement (RAP). Further, the effect of nominal maximum aggregate size (NMAS) and design gyration (Ndesign) on mix design, NMAS and aggregate type and its water absorption on moisture-induced damage, NMAS, wheel load, test temperature, air voids, and binder grade on rutting, and NMAS, air voids, and stress or strain levels on fatigue properties of asphalt mixtures were analysed. Results indicated that NMAS had the significant effect on moisture-induced damage, rutting resistance and fatigue life of WMA mixtures. WMA mixtures made with aggregates of higher water absorption values were more prone to moisture-induced damage and even fail to meet minimum (tensile strength ratio) TSR requirements. Results also indicated that WMA mixtures made with modified and higher grade binder grade were high rut resistant. WMA mixtures tested at high stress or strain levels shows higher fatigue damage compared to WMA mixtures tested at lower stress or strain levels. © 2018, © 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
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    Laboratory Evaluation of SMA Mixtures Made with Polymer-Modified Bitumen and Stabilizing Additives
    (American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) onlinejls@asce.org, 2019) Shiva Kumar, G.; Ravi Shankar, A.U.; Ravi Teja, B.V.S.
    Stone matrix asphalt (SMA) is a gap-graded mixture that consists of two parts, a high concentration coarse aggregate skeleton and a high binder content mortar. The coarse aggregate skeleton provides the mixture with stone-on-stone contact, giving it strength, while the high binder content mortar adds durability. The mortar is typically composed of fine aggregate, mineral filler, asphalt binder, and a stabilizing additive. A stabilizing additive such as natural fibers, mineral fibers, or polymers is added to SMA mixtures to prevent draindown. In addition, it has the potential of reinforcing and improving the tensile strength and cohesion of SMA mixtures. In this study, banana fiber (BF) and pelletized fiber (VP) are used as stabilizing additives to prepare SMA mixtures with conventional viscosity-graded (VG) 30 bitumen. Mixtures were prepared with different levels BF and VP content, and another mixture without any stabilizers was also prepared using polymer-modified bitumen (PMB). Superpave mix design, draindown, fatigue, rutting, workability, and moisture-induced damage properties were evaluated. Results indicated that addition of natural and pelletized fiber controls binder draindown and improves resistance to rutting, fatigue, and moisture-induced damage of SMA mixture. Further, polymer-modified SMA mixtures take less energy for densification compared to SMA mixtures with natural and pelletized fiber. Results also showed that even though polymer-modified SMA mixtures performed better, SMA mixtures with pelletized fiber provided comparable results. © 2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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    Laboratory evaluation of use of areca fibres in SMA mixes
    (Taylor and Francis Ltd., 2023) Chinnabhandar, R.K.; Kumar, H.K.; Yatish, R.G.; Ravi Shankar, A.U.
    One of the problems associated with Stone Matrix Asphalt (SMA) mixes is the drain down of binder mortar during production, transportation and placement of the mixes. A commonly adopted method to control the drain down is to add a stabilising additive such as natural, synthetic or mineral fibres to the mixture, which is also known to improve the mechanical and volumetric properties of SMA. The present study evaluates the feasibility of using areca fibres extracted from areca husk in SMA as a stabilising additive. Three SMA mixtures were prepared with Viscosity Grade VG 30 bitumen using areca fibre (SMA-AF), coconut fibre (SMA-CF) and cellulose fibre in pelletised form (SMA-PF) and their performance was compared with a control SMA mixture prepared using Polymer Modified Bitumen (SMA-PMB). The prepared SMA specimens were evaluated for volumetric and Marshall properties, workability characteristics, Indirect Tensile Strength (ITS), fatigue, rutting and moisture susceptibility. The drain down test results indicated that the fibres controlled the drain down, and the optimum fibre content was 0.3% for the mixes with fibres. All the mixtures satisfied the requirements of SMA per IRC:SP 79-2008. The statistical analysis conducted revealed that the fibre type had a significant effect on the properties of SMA mixes. The SMA-PMB and SMA-CF mixes required the least and the highest energy for compaction. Among the mixes with natural fibres, SMA-AF performed better than SMA-CF. © 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
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    Effect of aggregate gradation and bitumen type on mechanical properties of semi-flexible asphalt mixtures
    (Elsevier Ltd, 2023) Kumar, D.H.; Chinnabhandar, R.K.; Chiranjeevi, K.; Ravi Shankar, A.U.R.
    Semi-Flexible Asphalt (SFA) mixture is a wearing course in which Open-Graded Asphalt (OGA) mixes having air voids of 20–35% are grouted with cement mortar. The grout consists of cement, sand, superplasticizer, and water. In the present work, an effort was made to assess the effect of the Sand-Cement (S/C) ratio in determining the optimal grout proportions. Taguchi technique combined with Grey Relational Analysis was used to obtain the optimal grout proportion. The optimum grout was found to be the mixture prepared with an S/C ratio of 0.6, a water-to-cement (W/C) ratio of 0.40, and a polycarboxylic ether-based superplasticizer (SP) content of 0.75% by weight of cement. The SP content was the most influencing factor, while the S/C ratio was the second most influencing factor. To investigate the effect of aggregate gradation and bitumen type on the mechanical properties of SFA mixtures, a new aggregate gradation with neat and modified bitumen was used to prepare OGA mixtures and later grouted with optimal grout proportion. The Marshall Stability, compressive strength, Indirect Tensile Strength, Cantabro loss, fatigue resistance, moisture and Oil spillage resistance tests were conducted. The results showed that the SFA mixtures prepared with polymer-modified bitumen and the new aggregate gradation have better mechanical properties, implying the significance of bitumen type and aggregate gradation. © 2023
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    Synergistic effects of natural fibres and agro-waste ash on the engineering and sustainability of stone-matrix asphalt mixes
    (KeAi Communications Co., 2025) Akarsh, P.K.; Marathe, S.; Sapal, H.K.; Akshaya Krishna, N.
    This study investigates the use of non-traditional natural fibres, specifically sisal plant fibres (SF) and coconut coir coir fibres (CCF), in Stone Matrix Asphalt (SMA) mixtures. The objective was to evaluate the optimal binder content, assess Marshall properties, and investigate drain-down, indirect tensile strength, fatigue, and rutting characteristics of the SMA mixes. Additionally, the study explores the use of sugarcane bagasse ash (SBA), an agro-waste, as a substitute for Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), aiming to promote sustainability and waste management optimization. The research identified the optimal SMA mix with a 0.30% fibre dosage and 10% SBA, demonstrating favorable mechanical properties with Marshall stability and tensile strength ratio exceeding 90%, alongside satisfactory rutting and fatigue performance. The results showed that SF and CCF provided comparable, or even superior, performance to traditional cellulose fibres (CF), positioning them as sustainable alternatives for pavement construction. Further, a Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) was conducted on conventional and modified SMA mixes, revealing substantial long-term economic benefits. Although SMA mixes incurred slightly higher initial costs, their superior durability and reduced maintenance needs resulted in a 13.6% cost reduction for SMA-CCF and 11.1% for SMA-SF over a 20-year period. Environmental assessments confirmed that substituting synthetic fibres and OPC with SF, CCF, and SBA substantially lowered carbon emissions and enhanced sustainability, with reductions in Global Warming Potential of up to 50%. These findings highlight the potential of natural fibres and SBA in reducing costs and environmental impacts, offering a sustainable solution for future pavement construction. © 2025 Tongji University and Tongji University Press
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    Properties of Rejuvenated Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement Mixtures with Waste Glass Powder and Sisal Fibers for Pavements
    (American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), 2025) Marathe, S.; Akarsh, A.P.; Bhat, A.K.
    By exploring the usage of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) mixtures in pavement construction, this study fills a substantial gap in the literature. The research includes a number of experimental investigations ranging from enhancing binder qualities to efficiently using waste engine oil (WEO) as a rejuvenator, as well as detailed performance evaluations using waste glass in powdered form. RAP materials were meticulously graded to provide stone matrix asphalt compositions. Throughout the study, a reinforcing supplement of 0.30% sisal fiber was utilized. The determination of optimal (fresh) binder content (OBC) of 3.50% and the selection of a lowered OBC of 2.50% with the adding of 20% WEO rejuvenator are among the preliminary key results. The study also effectively modified RAP mixes by including waste glass powder (WGP) as a mineral additive, yielding an optimal dose of 5.0% for a selected RAP mix. Performance testing on the improved RAP mixtures produced remarkable results. The Marshall stability value was increased by 20% with 5.0% WGP content. The Marshall quotient constantly fell between 2 and 5 kN=mm, which is the desired range. Tensile strength ratios often crossed 80%, and the drain-down potential was decreased by the use of WGP drastically. The combination with a 5.0% WGP content excelled the control mixture in rutting and fatigue testing and had a maximum retained Marshall stability of 93.1%. Additionally, pavement design utilizing Indian Roads Congress criteria demonstrated the viability of building pavements for low-volume roads using RAP mixtures in an efficient and sustainable manner. This study highlights the utilization of RAP to achieve sustainability in pavement building, offering a viable approach to bituminous pavement rehabilitation. © 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.