Effect of Varying Field Conditions on Stripping of Bituminous Roads

Abstract

: Presence of moisture on road surface can result in loss of bond between aggregate and bitumen mix due to which stripping can take place leading to reduction in pavement life. Most of the studies all over the world conclude that stripping is mainly caused due to the presence of moisture on the pavement. In this paper the results of a laboratory study that considered increased immersion time of bituminous mix in water along with the effect of moving traffic on the road have been presented on aggregate from three different sources using two bitumen grades. It is found that stripping value is affected by source of aggregate and bitumen grade. Also, it is observed that increase in immersion time and application of traffic pressure affects the stripping value. The pH value of water in which aggregates were immersed was also varied. The increase in alkalinity of water was found to increase the stripping of aggregate.