Improving performance of bituminous pavement layers with vermiculite, perlite, lime and calcite additives

The bearing resistance of asphalt pavements decreases due to the high temperature and long loading times and many distortions occur with tracks. Mineral additives are used to prevent the formation of wheel marks and other deformations in bituminous hot mixtures. Some of the additives are used to improve the blend properties by modifying the bitumen and some are directly involved in the admixture to enhance the engineering characteristics of the pavement layer. In this study, vermiculite, perlite, lime and calcite minerals were added directly to the mixture at the ratio of 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 2% and 2.5% of aggregate weight. Bitumen content, porosity, stability and flow values of the samples were determined by Marshall method. The values obtained from doped samples were compared with the reference sample. As a result of experimental study, it was revealed that vermiculite, perlite, lime and calcite mineral additives increased the durability of the asphalt mixtures and these additives may obstruct the wheel tracks on the surface.