Enhancing Mechanical and Self-Healing Properties of Asphalt Binder Through the Incorporation of Nano-silica

Molecular dynamics method is used here to study the effect of insertion of nano-silica in order to improve the self-healing mechanism of asphalt. Comparative analysis of the mechanical and structural properties has shown the efficiency of the self-healing process. The insertion of nano-silica enhances the mechanical properties of asphalt with more than 19% of its initial performance and reduces the energetic loss during the healing process. It follows that the lifetime of the asphalt is clearly extended, which has a direct impact on its durability and mechanical performances. Moreover, the comparison of the healing indices between the pure and the altered structure of asphalt shows a clear rise in the healing speed and a decrease in the activation energy.