PURPOSES : For most local governments, including that of Gangwon-do, the establishment of an organized pavement management system is insufficient, resulting in problems such as inefficient distribution and use of maintenance budgets for deteriorated road pavements. In this study, we aimed to contribute to the establishment of a more reasonable road maintenance strategy by developing a model for predicting the annual international roughness index (IRI) change for national highway asphalt pavements in Gangwon-do based on big data analysis. METHODS : Data on independent and dependent variables used for model development were collected. The collected data were subjected to exploratory data analysis (EDA) and data preprocessing. Independent variable candidates were selected to reduce multicollinearity through correlation analysis and specific conditions. A final model was selected, and sensitivity analysis was performed. RESULTS : The final model that predicts annual IRI change uses independent variables such as annual temperature range, minimum temperature, freeze-thaw days, IRI, surface distress (SD), and freezing days. The sensitivity analysis confirmed that the annual IRI change was affected in the order of annual temperature range, minimum temperature, freeze-thaw days, IRI, SD, and freezing days. CONCLUSIONS : Road maintenance can be performed rationally by predicting future pavement conditions using the model developed in this study. The accuracy of the prediction model can be improved if additional data, such as material properties and pavement thickness, are obtained in future studies.

PURPOSES : The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of air voids, binder content, and aggregate gradation on the indirect tensile strength (IDT) and cracking tolerance index (CTindex) of cored asphalt pavements. METHODS : Cored samples were obtained from roads in Incheon city, and several laboratory experiments were performed. First, the cored samples were first to cut into a size appropriate for the IDT test. Subsequently, the air voids of the samples were measured. The damaged sample from the IDT test was loose mixed at 150 ℃ before the binder content was determined, which was conducted via an asphalt extraction test. Finally, the clean aggregates obtained from asphalt extraction process were analyzed in the aggregate gradation test. RESULTS : The result shows that an increase in air voids from 4% to 8% decreases the IDT and cracking tolerance index (CTindex) by 30% and 28%, respectively. Incorporating a binder enhances the ductile behavior of the asphalt mixture, resulting in a higher CTindex. Finally, the contribution of the aggregate grade on the IDT and CTindex is negligible. CONCLUSIONS : The IDT and CTindex are primarily affected by the air voids and binder content. A higher percentage of air voids results in a lower IDT. In addition, a higher amount of binder increases the IDT and CTindex of the cored samples. Meanwhile, the aggregate grade does not affect the IDT.

PURPOSES : Owing to industrial development, the occurrence of continuous environmental damage such as abnormal weather is accelerating because of a rapid increase in carbon emissions. Therefore, various efforts are expended worldwide to realize a low-carbon ecofriendly society. In the construction industry, various efforts have been realized to reduce environmental pollution such as greenhouse gas emissions, for example by introducing eco-friendly materials and reducing industrial waste. In this study, an asphalt pavement technology that can reduce production and construction temperatures by more than 60 °C is developed to reduce the amount of carbon generated in the asphalt industry. METHODS : The performance of a half-warm asphalt binder developed using thermoplastic elastomers and low-temperature additives was assessed. In addition, the change in the quality of a mixture due to the use of the half-warm asphalt binder was evaluated. RESULTS : As the amount of thermoplastic elastomer used increases, the performance grade of the asphalt binder increases as well. When 3% or more of the elastomer is incorporated, the target performance grade of the asphalt binder is satisfied. In addition, by incorporating the thermoplastic elastomer and a low-temperature additive, the overall moisture and rutting resistance increased even at relatively low production and compaction temperatures. CONCLUSIONS : Additional measures to stabilize quality and improve economic feasibility will present a new paradigm for investigations into eco-friendly asphalt concrete pavements.

PURPOSES : In this study, an eco-friendly mastic asphalt backfill material is developed to reduce production and construction temperatures by 40 ℃ compared with those recorded when using conventional hot-mix mastic asphalt backfill materials. METHODS : To reduce the production and construction temperatures, SIS polymer modifiers and gum rosin were selected, and gum rosin-modified SIS materials were applied to the mastic asphalt binder mix design. SIS is less viscous than SBS at high temperatures owing to its thermal characteristics, and incorporating gum rosin into SIS causes the latter to exhibit a loose and soft structure. To improve the performance of the mastic asphalt modified with SIS and gum rosin, three different filler mixes, i.e., 100% PMMA, 50% PMMA and 50% calcium carbonate, and 40% PMMA and 60% calcium carbonate were applied. RESULTS : The rosin-modified SIS reduces the viscosity of the developed mastic asphalt binders. In particular, incorporating 3.7% of gum rosin is beneficial to the mastic binder and does not degrade its low-temperature performance. Similarly, using 100% PMMA as a filler improves the performance but results in workability issues at high temperatures. CONCLUSIONS : Rosin-modified SIS and PMMA are promising alternatives for increasing the workability at high temperatures while maintaining the target performance of grade PG82-22 binders if the appropriate ratio of calcium carbonate is mixed with PMMA and an alternative filler comprising calcium carbonate is used.

PURPOSES : In this study, the thermal conductivity properties and mechanical performance of a thermally conductive asphalt mixture that can be applied to increase the efficiency of deicing asphalt pavements are evaluated. METHODS : Graphite powder and carbon fiber, which are inexpensive carbon materials, were added to the asphalt mixture to its conductivity. To determine the optimal mixing ratio of the carbon materials, the dispersibility, thermal conductivity, and performance of the conductive asphalt mixture were evaluated. The performance of the mixture was evaluated in terms of its volume characteristics, Marshall stability, dynamic modulus, indirect tensile strength (IDT), and wheel-tracking tests. RESULTS : The thermal conductivity of the asphalt mixture containing 2% graphite is 1.81 W/mK, which is approximately twice (0.94 W/mK) that of a general asphalt mixture. Meanwhile, the graphite-added asphalt mixture indicates a much higher temperature increase rate than the general asphalt mixture, and its surface temperature after 60 min is 7.5 ℃ higher. In addition, it reaches 0 ℃ from -10 ℃ at a rate 1.5 times higher than that required by the general asphalt mixture. When both 2% graphite and 1% carbon fiber are added, the thermal conductivity improves to 2.03 W/mK, and the conductivity is similar at all locations of the slab specimen location, which indicates no dispersibility issue. The results of the mechanical performance evaluation shows that the higher the ratio of the carbon material, the lower is the dynamic modulus and IDT at 20 ℃, which decreases the crack resistance. Meanwhile, the results of the Hamburg wheel-tracking test at 50 ℃ show an improvement in the permanent deformation resistance. CONCLUSIONS : The results of the conductivity and performance evaluation show that the optimal ratio is the combination of 2% graphite and 0.5% carbon fiber. This suggests that the conductive asphalt mixture incorporated with carbon materials can efficiently transfer heat generated from the heating layer at the bottom of the pavement to the pavement surface.

PURPOSES : In this study, we propose a mini-trench method, which involves using warm mix Guss mastic asphalt as a backfill material and an installation temperature of 160 ℃. The method is verified via a heat transfer analysis of a pavement using the finite element method. METHODS : First, the density, thermal conductivity, and specific heat required for heat transfer analysis were determined based on previous studies. Subsequently, the boundary conditions for convection and radiation to perform the heat transfer analysis were determined. The pavement temperature, which is the initial condition of the analysis, was determined based on the summer pavement temperature distribution using the temperature prediction program of the Korean pavement Research Program. Heat transfer analysis was performed by determining the temperature of the backfill material based on 160 °C and 200 °C for the heat load temperatures. The temperature change was observed on the backfill surface, and the temperature change of the conduit was observed directly. RESULTS : When the pavement surface temperature for traffic opening is 50 °C, the backfill thickness ranges from 50 to 250 mm, the warm mix Guss mastic asphalt requires 2 h to 5 h, 15 min until traffic opening, and the hot mix Guss mastic asphalt requires 2 h, 30 min to 6 h, 40 min until traffic opening. The limit temperature of the conduit evaluated based on KS C 8454 shows that the warm mix Guss mastic asphalt does not satisfy the standard when the backfill concrete cover is 50 mm thick, whereas the hot mix Guss mastic asphalt does not satisfy the standard when the concrete cover is 50 and 100 mm thick. CONCLUSIONS : The backfill depth of the mini-trench using warm mix Guss mastic asphalt as a backfill material should be less than 100 mm, considering the traffic opening time. Meanwhile, the thickness of the backfill concrete should be 100 mm or less.

PURPOSES : In this study, emissions from asphalt mixture production and construction processes are calculated and used to estimate the emission from each asphalt pavement layer. The calculated emissions for the processes are used as fundamental data to estimate the total emission from the entire life cycle of pavement engineering in South Korea. METHODS : A design proposal and the Korean standard, which provide quantitative information for activities, were used to estimate the amount of construction materials and energy consumption. Subsequently, the LCI DB from NAPA and the LCIA DB from EPA were utilized in conjunction with the estimated quantity to assess the effect of the emissions to determine their environmental impact categories. RESULTS : Calculation results show that 5.84 million ton of CO2eq is discharged from production and construction processes, whereas 3.24 million ton of CO2eq is discharged from operation processes in the pavement engineering sector. The total GHG emission, i.e., 9.08 million ton of CO2eq, is approximately 1.25% of the national GHG emission in 2018. The asphalt mixture production process results in the highest GHG emission in the life cycle of asphalt pavements. CONCLUSIONS : An LCI DB that accounts for the industrial characteristics of South Korea must be established to provide more reliable emission data to be used for national GHG reduction plans, including those for the pavement engineering sector.

PURPOSES : To efficiently manage pavements, a systematic pavement management system must be established based on regional characteristics. Suppose that the future conditions of a pavement section can be predicted based on data obtained at present. In this case, a more reasonable road maintenance strategy should be established. Hence, a prediction model of the annual surface distress (SD) change for national highway pavements in Gangwon-do, Korea is developed based on influencing factors. METHODS : To develop the model, pavement performance data and influencing factors were obtained. Exploratory data analysis was performed to analyze the data acquired, and the results show that the data were preprocessed. The variables used for model development were selected via correlation analysis, where variables such as surface distress, international roughness index, daily temperature range, and heat wave days were used. Best subset regression was performed, where the candidate model was selected from all possible subsets based on certain criteria. The final model was selected based on an algorithm developed for rational model selection. The sensitivity of the annual SD change was analyzed based on the variables of the final model. RESULTS : The result of the sensitivity analysis shows that the annual SD change is affected by the variables in the following order: surface distress ˃ heat wave days ˃ daily temperature range ˃ international roughness index. CONCLUSIONS : An annual SD change prediction model is developed by considering the present performance, traffic volume, and climatic conditions. The model can facilitate the establishment of a reasonable road maintenance strategy. The prediction accuracy can be improved by obtaining additional data, such as the construction quality, material properties, and pavement thickness.

PURPOSES : The objective of this study is to analyze the significance of binder aging in a hot-mix asphalt (HMA) mixture in an insulated camber for a long duration for repair works, where the absolute viscosity level and service life reduction (SLR) are assessed based on the haul time, as well as to suggest a methodology for reducing the aging level. METHODS : Because the HMA mixture is stored in an insulated box carriage at high temperature for repair works, if the binder in the mix is severely oxidized, then the repaired pavement will not exhibit a long service life. Therefore, the 13-mm dense-graded HMA mix with PG64-22 was aged in an oven at 160 °C for 1, 2, 4 and 8 h to evaluate its aging level. Gel-permeation chromatography was performed on the mixture particle without binder recovery to measure the large-molecular size ratio, from which the estimated absolute viscosity (EAV) was computed using a best-fit regression model. The SLR values of aged and repaired mixes were estimated to determine the amount of deterioration in the mixes caused by severe aging. Hydrated lime (HL) was introduced into the mix at a ratio of 1.5 wt% of the total mix. The aging level and SLR were compared with those of the repaired mix without HL. RESULTS : The binder EAV of the HMA mix increases significantly with the mixture aging duration. In particular, the binder EAV level of a 4-h aged mix is similar to the asphalt viscosity level of a pavement with approximately 7 years of service life. The service life expressed based on the aging level is interpreted as the reduced service life of the aged mix, which is already oxidized before it is used. Meanwhile, the binder of an 8-h aged mix without HL aged significantly and its SLR is approximately 11 years. However, its aging level and SLR reduced significantly when HL. is incorporated. CONCLUSIONS : The binder aging level of the repaired mix increases significantly with its storage duration in a hot chamber for carriage. However, since the aging level decreases significantly by the incorporation of HL, the use of HL is highly recommended when preparing new mix for repair works to be performed in a hot-chamber for a long duration.