Case Study on the Performance of Warm Mix Asphalt Concrete Roads RY.4036

Abstract

Currently, Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) technology is one of the innovations that help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the Earth's atmosphere by lowering the production and construction temperatures of asphalt concrete pavement by 20 to 40°C compared to Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA). This research aimed to study WMA technology in terms of mechanical properties, pavement performance, and environmental impact, comparing WMA and HMA by selecting WMA produced in an asphalt cement mixing plant (pre-blend) with chemical additives that had the properties of reducing the surface tension (surfactants) between asphalt cement and aggregates. A field trial was conducted on Rural Road RY.4036 in Chanthaburi Province,
a coastal road with a traffic volume of 3,212 vehicles/day.
The results of the study revealed that WMA was able to reduce production and construction temperatures by 20°C while maintaining its mechanical properties. In terms of fuel, compared with HMA, the consumption of boiler oil and the emission could be decreased by 30% in terms of the environment. However, the on-site construction process of WMA can be better for reducing the emission of flue gas pollutants in the construction process, thus bringing a safer environment to the construction site, operators, and on-site residents. Therefore, the evaluation of WMA's long-term behavior under actual use conditions and environments is still of great significance for further monitoring in the future