Towards the efficient way of asphalt regeneration by applying heating and mechanical processing

Abstract

Asphalt layers renovation includes heating, mechanical processing, and the removal of the layer. Implementation of an alternative method—regenerating the upper asphalt layer, saves the operation time and energy. Common regeneration technologies consume a significant amount of energy and pollute the air during operation. This research aimed to investigate the improvement of the asphalt layers regeneration process when heating is applied together with mechanical processing. This methodology enables safe energy in the process of asphalt regeneration in terms of heating agent and mechanical processing. The distribution of the asphalt temperature in its cross-section with and without mechanical processing was evaluated experimentally and theoretically using a mathematical model. Experiments were performed in the temperature range from 250 to 450 °C. Mechanical loading was applied by the pressure force of 4500 N. Using mechanical loading together with heating, the best heat transfer into a deeper layer was found when the heating temperature of the asphalt was 250 °C. The asphalt simulation model showed that deeper asphalt layers require more time for the temperature to reach the limit values.