Rutting Performance Evaluation Of Asphalt Mixture Constitute Waste Marble Powder Filler: An Experimental And Numerical Analysis Approach

Abstract

The asphalt industry grapples with enhancing rutting resistance, promoting sustainability, and effectively utilizing waste. Rutting poses significant risks to flexible pavements, leading to damage and safety hazards. Sustainable road pavements are essential for conserving natural resources, necessitating innovative approaches. The industry must develop solutions for creating durable, environmentally friendly pavements. One of the primary challenges in asphalt paving construction is ensuring an adequate and available high-quality filler material. To overcome this, it is vital to identify and employ alternative filler materials that are readily available and meet stringent performance standards. This study evaluates the rutting resistance of asphalt mixtures modified with waste marble powder through comprehensive experimental and numerical analyses. Laboratory tests were conducted on asphalt mixtures with varying percentages of waste marble powder (0-50%) in increments of 10% to determine their rutting performance, while finite element modeling using Abaqus software simulated the deformation behavior under a 0.7MPa tire contact pressure. Key findings from the laboratory experiments revealed that all components (aggregate, bitumen, and waste marble powder) met the necessary quality standards. Marshall mix design is used to determine optimum bitumen content. Optimal bitumen and crushed stone dust (CSD) filler contents were identified as 5.24% and 5.25%, respectively. At these levels, the control mix exhibited a maximum Marshall stability, flow, VMA, VFA, bulk density, TSR, Emod and rut depth of 10.87 KN, 2.959 mm, 15.69%, 74.64%, 2.304 g/cm³, 81.3%, 4276.88MPa and 0.394 mm respectively. Waste marble powder was found to optimally replace conventional filler at 30%, enhancing stability, flow, VMA, VFA, bulk density, TSR, Emod, and rut depth by 11.41%, 2.33%, 2.29%, 1.58%, 0.35%, 18.23%, 23.33% and 4.06%, respectively. Simulation results indicated rut depths of 0.381 mm for the control mix and 0.375 mm for the optimized mix, closely aligning with the experimental results of 0.394 mm and 0.378 mm, respectively. This consistency validates the reliability of both the experimental and numerical methodologies. Furthermore, these results demonstrate compliance with the EN 13108 specification. The average rut depths, combining experimental and simulated data, were 0.388 mm for the control mix and 0.377 mm for the modified mix. Notably, the asphalt mixture incorporating 30% waste marble powder achieved a rut depth of 0.377 mm, highlighting its efficacy in enhancing performance and sustainability. These findings provide significant insights for advancing asphalt engineering with eco-friendly solutions using industrial waste, promising practical applications for future research