Construction and Building Materials,

Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 141-146, 1996

Copyright Q 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd
Printed in Great Britain. All rights reserved
09504618/96$lS.OO+O.OO

095&0618(95)OOM2-9

ELSEVIER

Tensile reinforcement
polymer coating
Kwang W. Kim*, Yong-Churl
Department of Agricultural
200-707 South Korea
Received

7 March

of asphalt concrete using

Park and Kyu-Seok Yeon

Engineering,

Kangwon

National

University,

Chun Cheon,

1995; revised 16 May 7995; accepted 20 May 1995

This study investigates the possibility of utilizing a polyester resin for reinforcing flexible pavements. The application of a thin-layer coating with a polymer, unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) on
the surface of a laboratory-prepared unmodified asphalt concrete mixture was studied as a tensile
reinforcement method for such a material. Selected laboratory performance tests were conducted
and the results are compared with those of a normal (uncoated) asphalt concrete mixture and a
modified asphalt mixture, both mixtures being widely used in Korea. The polymer coating was
found to be effective in improving Marshall stability, tensile strength and flexural strength of
asphalt concrete. These improvements can be explained as the effect of reinforcement by a thin
polymer layer which is fully bonded to the specimen faces. The reinforcement was also effective in
reducing the stiffness of the mixture whilst improving load-carrying capacity. This improvement in
strength and reduction in stiffness resulted in a retardation of crack initiation resulting from cyclic
load application and a significantly improved resistance to crack propagation. The study has shown
that there is a possibility of using the polymer coating as a method of tensile reinforcement with
flexible pavements.
Keywords:

asphalt concrete; tensile reinforcement;

Tensile strength is an important property for flexible

pavements to provide a satisfactory service performance. Different types of reinforcement have been used
to improve the tensile properties of flexible pavements
in an effort to extend the service life of pavements.
Researchers have investigated the use of wire meshesi,z,
geotextiles3.4 and their related productss.6. Brown et al.7
and Kennepohl et al.8 introduced the concept of polymer grid reinforcement. Many performance evaluation
methods and data with tensile reinforcement were presented at a RILEM conferences. These reinforcement
systems were known to provide improved load-carrying
capacity through interlock of the material and significant retardation
against reflective cracking with
overlays. Recently, various polymer-modified asphalt
binders have also been widely used, not only to improve
tensile strength, but also to overcome many other
weaknesses common with asphalt binder+). However, each particular option dictates where the reinforcement should be placed, and its relative technical
and cost effectiveness.
In this regard, the road maintenance authorities want
to use the method or material for tensile reinforcement

*Correspondence

polymer coating

with the highest cost/benefit ratio. This study was

devised to investigate the possibility of utilizing the
superior characteristics of a polymer material for reinforcing flexible pavement layers. An application of a
thin-layer coating with a polymer resin was studied as
a simple tensile reinforcement
method for asphalt
concrete. Since typical low-cost polymer resins are
available, which can generate a significant strength after
curing in a short time, the simple coating of the tension
side at a pavement layer with such a resin would
provide an economic tensile reinforcement to the layer.
The objective of this study is to evaluate the
effectiveness of a polymer coating for the purpose of
tensile reinforcement of an asphalt concrete pavement
material in the laboratory.
The flat surfaces of
laboratory-prepared
unmodified asphalt concrete specimens were coated with a very thin layer of polymer,
and the significance of reinforcement was evaluated.
Selected laboratory performance tests were conducted
and the results were compared with those of a normal
(uncoated) asphalt concrete mixture and a modified
asphalt concrete mixture, both of which are widely
used in Korea. A brief description of the experimental
procedures used and results of the laboratory investigation on performance of the mixtures are presented
in this paper.

to K. W. Kim
141

Polymer

142

reinforcement

for asphalt

concrete:

K, W. Kim et al.

Test programme
Muteriuls

Penetration grade 85/100 asphalt cement, the most

widely used in South Korea, was used as a binder with
a normal asphalt mixture. A coarse granite aggregate
and a river sand were used to make specimens of all
three asphalt concrete mixtures. The gradation of the
combined aggregate along with the specification limit
are presented in Tuble 1.
A normal hot dense graded asphalt concrete mixture
(complying with WC-3) was designed based on the
Korean Highway Corps specificationtz. The optimum
asphalt concrete for a job-mix formula was decided at
5.5%. An unsaturated polyester resin (UPR),which is an
economic material being widely used in polymer
concrete manufacturets~tt, was selected as a polymercoating material. A polymer-coated asphalt mixture was
produced by applying the polymer in a thin layer (film)
on the flat surface of laboratory specimens and the
tensile face of the beam of the normal mixture for
tensile reinforcement. A modified asphalt binder, a
polymer modifier (styrene-butadien polymer) plus the
asphalt cement (PMA), which is commercially available
in Korea, was used to produce a modified asphalt
mixture. 7% of the modifier by weight of asphalt was
added to asphalt cement at 150C and stirred for an
hour before using. The properties of the polymer and
the modifier are shown in Tuble 2.

Absorbed
Figure 1

Figure 2

percentage

Sieve size (mm)

Specification
Combined

Table 2
Material

UPR

Modifier

agg.

of combined
19

aggregate

and specification

13

illustration

Three-point

bending

given elsewheret6. To
thin layer of polymer
of the beam by the
samples. Three beams
for each test.

Marshall specimensts were made for Marshall stability

and indirect tensile strength (ITS) tests using 50 blows
per side with the Marshall compaction hammer. To
make a polymer-coated Marshall specimen, the polymer
was evenly sprayed on both flat sides of the normal mixture specimen, resulting in a thin coating on the surfaces
after curing. A unit quantity of 262.1 g/m2 was applied
for a layer coating as determined from preliminary trials
to make it as thin as possible whilst covering the surface
completely. The specimen with a polymer coating is
schematically illustrated in Figure I. Three replicates
were prepared with each mixture for each test.
Figure 2 shows a beam designed for flexural strength,
static strain and crack propagation tests. Details of
the procedure used for making the beam specimen are
Passing

Schematic

Polymer
of polymer

coat

c: 0.27mm

coating

S = 320mm

Specimens

Table 1

polymer

test setup

make a polymer coated beam, a

was applied to the bottom face
method used with the material
were prepared with each mixture

Test procedure

To examine the basic properties of the three types of

asphalt mixtures, Marshall and ITS tests were conducted
on Marshall specimens. The specimens for Marshall
stability and ITS were allowed to age for 36 h at room
temperature (25C) before testing. Both tests were
carried out at a loading rate of 50 mmimin at room
temperature.
To examine the effectiveness of the polymer coating
for reinforcement,
flexural strength
tests, strain
measurement tests and crack propagation tests were
for WC-3

4.76

2.38

0.59

0.297

0.149

0.074

955100

78-90

48-65

38-50

20-30

12-21

7-16

48

99.8

85.8

58.6

42.8

25.3

16.3

10.3

4.6

Selected properties

of UPR and polymer

modifier

S.G.
(25C)

Viscosity

1.138
0.980

3.00
2.25

Acid value

Styrene
content (%)

20.0

40

(ps)

PH

10.5

Total
solid (/)
_
50

Appearance

Clear liquid
Milky-white liquid

Polymer

reinforcement

for asphalt

conducted on the beam specimens. Asphalt concrete

beams for the three tests were also allowed to age for
36 h at room temperature before handling for test
setup instrumentation. To examine flexural strength a
three-point bending test was conducted on the beam at
25C. Since the test was done at room temperature,
a relatively fast loading speed, 50 mm/min, was selected to prevent self flow during the test. Two LVDTs
were placed near each side of the bottom centre of
the beam to measure beam mid-span deflection until
failure (Figure 2).
To simulate an asphalt pavement, a beam was overlaid on a discontinued ridged pavement. The beam was
bonded using an epoxy on top of concrete blocks that
were placed 10 mm apart on a rubber mat, as shown
in Figure 3. To examine the strain at the gap due to a
vertical load from the top of the beam in that particular situation, a static strain test was performed on
the beam. An electronic strain gauge was placed in the
longitudinal direction at the bottom centre of the
beam to measure the strain across the gap between the
concrete blocks under the beam. A static load with a
loading rate of 10 mm/min was applied through a loading plate, as shown in Figure 3. The strain at failure
at the gap for each mixture was measured at 25C.
To evaluate the effectiveness of the polymer coating
against crack initiation and propagation,
a cyclic
vertical load was applied to the beam through a 60 cm2
loading plate at 10 Hz. The load was cycled between 0.2
and 5 kN, using an MTS machine, to induce a cyclic tensile strain across the gap. The minimum load of 0.2 kN
Static load
Loading

plate

-/

Interface

Bonded

AsphaltConcrete

-rl

Strain

Figure 3

Specimen

bonding

and test setup for static strain measure

Dvnamic
Loading

Interface without

gage

irl
Fixed

Figure 5

Loading

cross

bar

Servo hydraulic power

frame and test setup for crack

propagation

test

(approximately 20 kgf) was used to avoid separation of

the loading head from the top of the beam during cyclic
loading. All tests were performed at 25C and the crack
growth was monitored visually on the sides of the beam
which were painted white. An LVDT was installed one
side of the two concrete blocks to measure the horizontal deformation of the beam, as shown in Figure 4.
Horizontal deformation by the number of cycles was
measured until the crack tip reached half the depth of
the beam height. The experimental setup for the crack
propagation test in the MTS machine is shown in Figure 5.

Properties of the mixture

it-

Gap(lomm)

K. W, Kim et al.

Results and analysis

beam

1 15mm

concrete:

load

plate

Measure crack growth

up to this line

Asphalt
~~~~~~~~ ~_~~F&___
beam
4cm

Air void, specific gravity, Marshall stability, flow and

ITS of the three mixtures are shown in Tuble 3. The
modified asphalt mixture showed a better Marshall
stability and ITS, compared with those of the normal
mixture. However, the improvement was not as great as
those of the polymer coated mixture. The mixture with
polymer coating showed the best value with both
properties.
The UPR specimen is the one where the polymer resin
was simply coated on both sides of the normal mixture
specimen. With this coating, an approximate 32% and
Table 3

*.

Physical

properties,

Marshall

values

and

ITS of

three

mixtures
Mixtures

Support

4 -

Gap
Figure 4

Specimens

and test setup for crack

LVDT

propagation

test

Property

Normal

PMA

Bulk S.G.
Air void (%)
Marshall stability (kN)
Marshall flow (0.1 mm)
ITS (kPa)

2.33
4.21
14.89
28.73
790.70

2.31
4.73
17.07
30.46
974.41

UPR

2.33
4.21
19.79
32.02
1351.49

Polymer

144

reinforcement

for asphalt

concrete:

K. W. Kim et al.

at maximum

load

Table 4 Average value of flexural strength test result for three mixtures
Maximum

Mixture

Normal
RMA
UPR

load

W)

(mm)

Flexural strength
(kPa)
-

2.169
2.417
2.587

0.81
0.89
1.03

2711.0
3036.3
3234.0

Deflection

similar to those of quasi-elastic materials. This could be

the result of using a fast loading rate, 50 mm/min.
Normal asphalt concrete was the stiffest amongst the
three mixtures. This is shown from the initial stiffness of
the load-deflection
curves. Using modified asphalt
and a polymer coating created reduced stiffnesses
and improved ultimate strengths. This improved loadcarrying capacity with lower stiffness was expected from
the results of the Marshall test (higher stability and
larger flow) given in Table 3. Since the modified binder
was, in general, developed for the purpose of reducing
stiffness and improving strength, there was no difficulty
in expecting this kind of result. However, it is significant
to find that the simple polymer coating on the normal
asphalt mixture surfaces could provide a better result
than the modified binder mixture.
Figure 7 shows the strain developed across the gap at
the bottom of the beam face of asphalt concrete due to
continuously increasing the static load to failure. The

70% improvement in Marshall stability and ITS was

achieved, with respect to the unmodified normal
mixture. These improvements can be explained as the
reinforcing effect of the thin polymer layer that is completely bonded onto the specimen faces. The coating
appeared to be particularly effective in improving the
tensile strength of the asphalt concrete. Improved
Marshall stability caused an increased flow, but the
value was within specification limits, 20-401s.
Flexural strength

und strain at the gup

Test
The
and
with

results of flexural strength are presented in Tuble 4.

UPR mixture showed the highest flexural strength
its difference was approximately 20% compared
the normal mixture.
Figure 6 shows three load-deflection curves for each
asphalt concrete mixture tested in three-point bending.
In spite of this viscous nature of the asphaltic material
at ambient temperature the load-deflection curves were

Polymer Modified
Mixture

Normal mixture

0.0
0.0

I
0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

0.5

0.0

Deflection

1.0

(4

0))

Polymer-coated
mixture
0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

Deflection
(cl

Figure 6 Load-deflection

curves for each mixture

1.5

Deflection

2.0

2.5

2.0

2.5

Polymer

reinforcement

for asphalt

concrete:

K. W. Kim et al.

145

-J

10

12

14

16

Strain(E-3)
Figure 7

Strain of asphalt concrete beam at the gap under static loading

normal mixture showed the highest strain initially, and

immediate failure with a small increase in strain. The
modified mixture showed the lowest strain initially and
a somewhat improved ultimate. load. The polymer
coated mixture showed much higher strain sustenance
with a continuous load increase, which is evidence of a
clearly reduced stiffness whilst at the same time sustaining the highest load at failure.
Near the end of each curve, there is a point where the
load rapidly increases almost without any strain increment. This point is interpreted as the crack initiation
point. From this test it was found that the polymer
coated mixture sustained continuous load much longer
before crack initiation. In other words, the high
strength of the thin polymer layer can make a specimen
sustain high load and strain values before crack
initiation.
Crack propagation
Figure 8 shows curves for crack growth with number of

load cycles in the crack propagation test. Each lime was

drawn by power regression on the average value of
three replicate samples. Crack length was measured as
the vertical linear distance from the bottom of the beam
every 5000 cycles. The most significant feature of the
result is that when the polymer was coated at the
bottom of the beam, no visible crack developed within
15 000 cycles, whilst cracks did develop in earlier cycles
in other beams. Since the crack developing pattern in
the polymer coated specimen was noticeable, a desdiption of it is worthy of note.
50[

Figure 9 Photograph showing profiles of crack after crack propagation

tests for the three mixture beams

z-2.0
g
c 1.6
.g
E 1.2
5
2 0.6
1
E
0 0.4
.N
5
I0.d.

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

60

No. of Cycle (X 105)

Figure 10

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

No. of Cycle (x 103)

Figure 8

Crack propagation by number of load cycles

80

90

Horizontal deformation by number of cycles

At around 15 000 cycles, a thin crack was created just

above the polymer layer of the specimen. Immediately
after the polymer layer failed at the bottom, the crack
was connected to the opening of the polymer layer and
it grew up to 10 mm. The propagation rate of the crack
was stabilized thereafter.

146

Polymer reinforcement

for asphalt concrete: K. W. Kim et al.

With the thin layer of polymer coating, a minor crack

developed, but it took approximately 2.5 times as long,
on average, to reach half the beam height (4 cm) as for
the normal mixture beam. Although the two lines for
the modified mixture and the polymer coated mixture
are similar in Figure 8, it also took more cycles than
that of the PMA mixture for the crack tip in the polymer
coated mixture to reach the given length.
Furthermore, the crack was much thinner in the
polymer coated specimen than the normal mixture
specimen, or with the modified mixture specimen, as
shown in Figure 9. This was evidenced by the horizontal deformations measured by an LVDT and plotted
against number of load cycles, as shown in Figure 10.
Each line in this figure was also drawn by power
regression with an average value of three replicates.
The deformation is the accumulated results of horizontal beam expansion due to vertical load and crack
width expansion.
Initially, the polymer coated specimen showed the
lowest deformation, but the rate of deformation (slope)
was somewhat higher than with the modified mixture.
Once the polymer film (layer) failed by crack initiation,
the crack width expanded relatively fast because the
material above the polymer layer is just a normal
mixture. This caused the deformation rate of the
polymer coated specimen to be somewhat higher than
the modified mixture. However, the visually observed
crack width of the polymer coated beam was very thin
and almost invisible, as shown in Figure 9, compared
with the other two mixtures. This may be due to the
confining effect of the material at the bottom of the
polymer coat. Therefore,
in the polymer coated
beam, overall expansion of the beam, rather than crack
width expansion, seemed to be a major cause of the
horizontal deformation.
Since crack initiation was retarded significantly in the
polymer coated beam, the polymer coating shown in
this study appeared to be an acceptable reinforcement
method for flexible pavement materials. However, since
the modified mixture showed the lowest horizontal
deformation rate, combined use of the modified mixture
and the polymer coating at the bottom will be the better
method not only for tensile reinforcement, but also for
cracking retardation.

effective in reducing the stiffness of the mixture whilst

improving load-carrying capacity. This improvement in
strength and reduction in stiffness resulted in a
retardation of crack initiation due to cyclic loading.
The effect of the polymer coating was extended to a
significant improvement in the resistance to crack
propagation, approximately 2.5 times the load cycle of
a normal mixture without reinforcement.
The polymer coating used in this study appeared to
be a viable tensile reinforcement method for flexible
pavement layers. However, since the beam using the
modified mixture showed the lowest horizontal
deformation rate, using the polymer coating on the
modified asphalt mixture surface will be the more
effective method for tensile reinforcement.
Further study to compare this method with others,
such as, polymer grid and geotextiles, will give a clearer
idea of how much this polymer coating will be effective
in improving the tensile strength of flexible pavement.
References
1

10
I1

Conclusions

12

A polymer coating of laboratory prepared asphalt

concrete specimens improved Marshall stability and
indirect tensile strength significantly. These improvements can be explained as the effect of reinforcement
by a thin polymer layer that is completely bonded to
the faces of a specimen. This coating seemed to be
particularly effective in improving the tensile strength of
asphalt concrete. Flexural strength was also improved
when the polymer was coated on the face of the tensile
side of a beam in a very thin layer. The coating was also

13

14

15

16

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