Use of Microencapsulated Phase Change Materials in Bitumen to Mitigate the Thermal Distresses in Asphalt Pavements

In asphalt pavements, the temperature variations due to extreme weather conditions are mainly responsible for thermal distresses. Cracking and rutting are the main types of damages in asphalt mixtures from extreme low and high temperatures. Recently, in building construction, phase change materials (PCM) are efficiently used as a source of thermal energy preservation by storing thermal energy in a latent form. The use of microencapsulated phase change material (µPCM) enables thermal energy storage and release inside bitumen. The PCM’s crystallization/melting temperature define the temperature at which thermal energy can be stored/released. In this study, a low temperature µPCM was incorporated in bitumen and its rheological and thermal properties were evaluated using dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) respectively. It was observed that upon cooling, the addition of 25% µPCM by mass of bitumen crystallizes and releases the stored thermal energy. The surface temperature variations captured by means of thermal infra-red camera illustrate that compared to controlled specimen, in modified bitumen a delaying effect of cooling was found during the crystallization temperature of µPCM.