Effect of Phase Change Material on Temperature Susceptibility of Asphalt

Abstract

High-temperature is a major problem for asphalt pavement in summer. A possible answer to this problem is the application of phase change material (PCM), thereby increasing thermal energy storage and reducing temperature-peak of pavement. This research aims to analyze the influence of PCM on temperature susceptibility of asphalt. Asphalt mortars were prepared with PCM contents of 3%, 5% and 7% respectively. Penetration indexes (PI), viscosity-temperature susceptibility (VTS) were introduced to evaluate temperature susceptibility of asphalt. The results indicate that the addition of PCM can result in a slight increase in the temperature susceptibility of asphalt, while there is an optimum content that can minimize the influence. Thus, it is promising to use PCM in asphalt concrete to solve the problem of pavement high-temperature.