Virtual porous materials to predict the air void topology and hydraulic conductivity of asphalt roads

Influence of Nominal Maximum Aggregate Size and Aggregate Gradation on Pore Characteristics of Porous Asphalt Concrete

Porous asphalt concrete (PAC) has been used to improve the traffic conditions in rainy weather due to its high porosity. Aggregate size and gradation have great impact on the connected pore structure, which ultimately affects the permeability of porous asphalt concrete. In this paper, the topological properties of connective pores including pore area, pore circularity, equivalent pore diameter, and void network of porous asphalt concrete with different nominal maximum aggregate sizes and gradations were analyzed using x-ray computer tomography scans and the image processing technique. It was observed that the maximum aggregate sizes will not have significant effect on the percentage of connected pores to total pores for porous asphalt concrete. Furthermore, the percentage of connected pores to total pores is related to the air void content, but for PAC-13 with 20% target air void content or above, the connectivity does not seem to have a sharp increase. Additionally, porous asphalt concrete with a smaller nominal particle size or lower target air void content seems to generate a more concentrated distribution of Eqdiameter. Moreover, pore circularities for porous asphalt concrete with a maximum aggregate size of 10 mm or above are independent of maximum aggregate sizes. Air void contents ranging from 16% to 21% do not have a significant effect on the voids’ circularity. Furthermore, the branching nodes in porous asphalt concrete with a smaller nominal maximum aggregate size or lower target air void content have a more uniform spatial distribution. However, the percentage of cross-linked number to total node raises as the nominal maximum aggregate size or target air void content increases.