Suitability of Fiber Lengths for Hot Mix Asphalt with Different Nominal Maximum Aggregate Size: A Pilot Experimental Investigation

Fiber length is a key parameter for the mixture design of basalt fiber-reinforced hot mix asphalt (HMA), which significantly affects the mix performance. To evaluate the suitability of fiber lengths for HMA with different nominal maximum aggregate size (NMAS), basalt fiber with the lengths of 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 mm were selected for dense graded gradations with different NMASs (namely, SUP-13, SUP-20, and SUP-25), so as to prepare the fiber-reinforced HMA mixtures. Then, the mix performance was evaluated by an indirect tensile asphalt cracking test (IDEAL-CT), a four-point bending beam fatigue test, a wheel tracking test, a uniaxial penetration test, a low temperature bending beam test, and a freeze-thaw splitting test. Based on the performance results, the optimum fiber length for each mix gradation was proposed by the normalization method. The results showed that adding basalt fiber can enhance the comprehensive performance of all three types of HMA to a great extent. Furthermore, fiber length presented remarkable impact on the crack resistance, the fatigue resistance of the HMA, and the low temperature crack resistance, but it had limited influence on the high temperature deformation resistance, and water stability. The optimum fiber length for SUP-13, SUP-20, and SUP-25 was 6, 9, and 12 mm, respectively.