Study on the material composition design of Porous Elastic Asphalt Mixture (PEAM) based on the volumetric method

Poroelastic road surfaces (PERS) are currently recognised as the most effective pavement type for noise reduction. However, the material composition design of PERS lacks a sufficient theoretical foundation and methodology, particularly for designing aggregate structures and determining the binder content. In this study, porous elastic asphalt mixture (PEAM) was used as the object, and the material composition was designed using volumetric theoretical calculations supplemented by indoor experimental methods. Aggregate particle sizes were determined to be 2.36–4.75 mm and 4.75–9.5 mm using particle packing theory. Aggregate content was established as 40 % volume content of 2.36–4.75 mm through packing density tests. The binder and mineral powder contents were calculated using a modified coarse aggregate void filling (CAVF) method. The material composition design method based on the volumetric method is reasonable and feasible, as verified by pavement performance tests. The rutting resistance of the PEAM was comparable to that of PAC-13. Compared to PAC-13, the crack resistance of PEAM improved by 30 %–170 %, the water damage resistance increased by 1 %–6 %, and the looseness resistance increased by 27 %–66 %. In addition, the noise reduction performance of PEAM is excellent, reducing noise by 3.1–7.7 dB(A) compared to AC-13, and superior to PAC-13. This study provides a theoretical foundation for the material composition design of PERS and PEAM, which can contribute to the effective reduction of tire/pavement noise and waste tire pollution.