FUNDAMENTAL PROPERTIES OF ASPHALT-AGGREGATE INTERACTIONS INCLUDING ADHESION AND ABSORPTION

This report reviews the research and key conclusions, presents the adhesion and stripping models, and presents an in-depth view of the research performed under the Strategic Highway Research Program A-003B contract. The studies elucidated the chemistry and physics of the asphalt-aggregate bond. The principal areas of research included adhesion and absorption. The impact of water and aging on adhesion was also evaluated. The products developed include the following: models of adhesion and stripping; net adsorption test; specialty tests that address specific problems involving asphalt-aggregate interactions such as the limestone reactivity test; and more complete understanding of absorption and the optimization of the Rice method.