Effect of bitumen properties in the induction healing capacity of asphalt mixes

The visco-elasto-plastic nature of asphalt mixtures gives the material the capacity to self-heal cracks. One of the most promising methods to accelerate the healing phenomenon is the addition of conductive particles to the mix that can be externally heated by applying electromagnetic induction. The present paper studies the influence of bitumen properties on the induction healing capacity of asphalt mixtures. The main conclusion that can be extracted is that, for the range of bitumens commonly used in Europe, the fact of changing the type of bitumen does not significantly affect the healing capacity of the resulting asphalt mix.