Abstract "Potholes pose traffic safety hazards, which can cause significant damage to vehicles if they are left unpatched. Pothole patching materials considered in the proposal is a cold asphalt mix, which lacks flexibility and does not stick to a pothole as well as hot asphalt mixes. Therefore, cold asphalt mix materials to the potholes can be dislodged by moving traffic and can pose safety hazards to both vehicles and pedestrians.
There are many pothole-patching cold asphalt mix materials available in the market, however, there are no widely accepted performance measures to evaluate these products. The effectiveness of pothole patching materials greatly influences the durability and longevity of roads, and therefore it is crucial to evaluate their performances for severe freezing and thawing conditions of the Midwest. This proposal aims to evaluate existing cold asphalt mix materials for pothole patching with the purpose of developing laboratory testing procedures and performance measures and developing a new innovative patching material to promote traffic safety and sustainability.
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Description There are many pothole-patching cold asphalt mix materials available in the market, however, there is no widely accepted performance measure to evaluate these products. As a result, the selection process relies on the experience of public agency employees. Therefore, a proposed study of evaluating different types of cold asphalt mixes is warranted, as there are few recent studies on this topic in the last decade and the literature is not very conclusive. The effectiveness of cold asphalt mix materials greatly influences the durability and longevity of roads, and therefore it is critical to evaluate their performances in severe freezing and thawing conditions of the Midwest.
Objective safety, global competitiveness, sustainability, and transformation.
Impacts/Benefits This research project aims to address the critical issue of pothole repair by investigating innovative cold asphalt mix materials that offer improved performance, durability, and sustainability. By evaluating both proprietary and non-proprietary pothole-patching cold asphalt mix materials, we seek to provide relevant laboratory test procedures and performance measures for improving pothole-patching practices and ensuring safer and more sustainable transportation infrastructure