Open-grade wearing course of asphalt mixture containing ferrite for use as ferromagnetic pavement

This study examines the rheological and physical properties of an asphalt mixture containing ferrite for using in an open-grade wearing courses. The ferrite particles partially substituted the limestone filler in the mixture. Laboratory test results indicate that the ferrite addition produces mixtures with good mechanical characteristics for using in open-graded wearing courses. The addition of 0.5% of ferrite in total weight improve the mixture’s resistance to rutting, decreasing the permanent deformation. The mixture shows a slight lack of binder-aggregates adhesion under moisture conditions. The ferrite addition reduced the electrical resistivity nearly 100 times and conferred ferromagnetic performance to the mixture once subjected to an external magnetic field.