Performance evaluation of epoxy modified open-graded porous asphalt concrete

• Superior overall performance of epoxy modified open-graded porous mix is proved.
• Epoxy asphalt can significantly improve the resistance to raveling of porous mix.
• Epoxy modified open-graded porous mixes have excellent resistance to rutting.
• Negative aspect of using epoxy asphalt is the high cost of the material.

Open-graded porous asphalt (OGPA) mixes are applied to pavement surfaces to increase driving safety under wet conditions, and recently, to reduce tire/pavement noise. The durability of OGPA mixes, however, has been a concern since conventional OGPA mixes last typically less than ten years before major maintenance or rehabilitation is needed. This study investigates a new open-graded porous asphalt mixture that uses epoxy asphalt as binder to improve mix durability. One type of epoxy asphalt that has been successfully applied in dense-graded asphalt concrete for bridge deck paving was selected for this study. A procedure of compacting the mix into slab specimens was developed and a series of laboratory tests were conducted to evaluate the performance of the new mix, including Cantabro loss, permeability, acoustic absorption, indirect tensile, friction, shear stiffness and strength, and wheel rutting tests. Results showed superior overall performance of the epoxy modified open-graded porous asphalt mix compared to conventional open-graded porous asphalt mixes.