Comparison and analysis on heat reflective coating for asphalt pavement based on cooling effect and anti-skid performance

Abstract The objective of this study is to develop applicable solar heat reflective coating for asphalt pavement. The cooling effects of 10 self devised coats as well as a Japanese paint were compared and evaluated based on laboratory and field tests. Ceramic particles and machine made sands were applied to enhance coat anti skid performance. Results show that scheme 8, 9 and 10 performed better indoor cooling effect than others with a cut in specimen surface temperature by 30 °C. While scheme 5 excelled others at outdoor effect by 10 °C. In addition, the variation of cooling effect with time between different schemes in field test was similar to that in the laboratory although the outdoor effect of each coat was poorer than the indoor effect. The anti-skid experiment suggested that spreading 160 g/m2 of 1.18 mm machine made sands contributed to the greatest increase in the British Pendulum Number (BPN). Finally, three optimum schemes were recommended for practical application according to their outdoor cooling effect and impact on driving glare.