Short-Term Aging Performance Evaluation of Asphalt Based on Principal Component and Cluster Analysis

Abstract Asphalt ages easily under the natural environment of light, heat, and oxygen. A good amount of pavement damage, such as cracks, chaps, and trenches, is caused by asphalt aging, which shortens the service life of asphalt pavement. The aging rules of asphalt differ from oil source to oil source. Here, 18 typical asphalt samples were subjected to short-term aging experiments using a thin-film oven test. The principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis were carried out on eight aging-resistance indexes. The results classified the 18 types of asphalts into 2 groups according to the oil source, which indicated that the aging resistance of asphalt primarily depends on its oil source. Furthermore, based on the PCA and cluster analysis results, a discriminant model of different aging performance asphalts with a very high accuracy rate was established. These results provide a scientific basis for reasonable selection, quality monitoring, and guarantee of the origin of asphalts.