Numerical Simulation and Laboratory Testing Verification on the Performance of an Asphalt Pavement Seal Coat with Superficially Permeating and Solidifying Properties

In recent years, preventive maintenance has been used widely to solve the problem of early-stage asphalt pavement damage. However, conventional preventive maintenance treatments cannot effectively prevent rutting or damage resulting from the leakage of diesel fuel to the pavement. In this context, numerical simulations of uniaxial penetration tests were conducted with the Discrete Element Model to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of pavement surface solidification with a special seal coat. Standard viscosity tests on mixtures of waterborne epoxy resin and emulsified asphalt used as the Permeating and Solidifying Seal Coat (PSSC) material were performed, and uniaxial penetration tests and accelerated loading tests were conducted on asphalt mixture specimens with and without the PSSC. The optimum proportion of PSSC material was determined and its permeability, rutting resistance, diesel fuel corrosion resistance, and durability were evaluated. The results of this study indicate that the superficially solidified pavement with PSSC can effectively enhance rutting resistance and diesel fuel corrosion resistance and can provide more durable skid resistance and better antistripping performance than conventional preventive maintenance treatments. Therefore, the PSSC could be considered a new generation of preventive maintenance treatments for asphalt pavements.