Conventional asphalt pavement is the dominant mode of passenger and freight traffic in Pakistan. As a result, asphalt pavements suffer from various failures, where rutting, corrugation, and fatigue cracking are significant. Fine aggregates and mineral fillers play a pivotal role in providing structural integrity in asphalt pavements when subjected to traffic and the environment. The current study aims to examine the effects of various locally accessible fine aggregate and mineral filler materials on the interlocking properties of asphalt mixtures in relation to internal friction angle, rutting resistance, and controlling environmental pollution as an indirect benefit, thereby reducing wastes. Four distinct asphalt samples were prepared using cinders, stone dust, natural sand, and surkhi as fine aggregates and mineral fillers, as a full replacement, as per ASTM D1559, confirming the Asphalt Institute’s gradation for asphalt wearing course. Optimum binder contents (OBC) of 4.40%, 4.1%, 6.57%, and 6.63% by weight of Marshall specimen were concluded for asphalt samples containing stone dust, natural sand, cinder, and surkhi, respectively. The results revealed that surkhi, natural sand, stone dust, and cinder all showed a diminishing tendency in developing interlocking properties in asphalt mixtures at internal friction angles of 35°, 33.7°, 32°, and 28.4°, respectively. The wheel tracking test results revealed that the asphalt samples made with surkhi as fine aggregates and fillers have the highest rut resistance, whereas samples made with cinders as fine aggregates and fillers have the lowest rut resistance. The direct shear test showed that fine aggregates with a larger angle of internal friction are significantly more stable in terms of rut resistance than fine aggregates with a smaller angle of internal friction. The current research will help to prevent pavement rutting and corrugation by adding surkhi into asphalt pavements, with the reduction in brick kiln waste providing an indirect benefit.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance of hot mix asphalt (HMA) prepared with coal bottom ash (CBA) as an alternative mineral filler. In this study, the effect of CBA on rutting, stiffness and fatigue resistance was experimentally evaluated. Combinations of conventional filler (stone dust) with different percentages of CBA (at 1.5%, 3%, and 4.5% by volume) were adopted. The HMA samples were prepared and tested using the Marshall mix design method. Following the Asphalt Institute MS-2 and the Pakistani National Highway Authority (NHA) General Specifications, sixty samples of HMA were compacted; stability tests at varying bitumen contents (3.5%, 4.0%, 4.5%, 5.0%, and 5.5%) were used to determine the optimum bitumen content (OBC) in the mixture for each percentage of CBA in the filler. For 0%, 1.5%, 3%, and 4.5% CBA, the optimum bitumen contents of 4.27%, 4.47%, 4.53%, and 5.0% were obtained, respectively. They were used throughout the study. Three samples with the optimum binder content were made for each of the four analysed CBA proportions. The wheel tracker test was run on 12 OBC samples, and the dynamic modulus test was run on 12 OBC samples. The Marshall stability and flow test results showed that the samples prepared with 3% CBA as filler and an OBC of 4.53% satisfied the NHA requirements for flexible pavement. It was noted that CBA greatly improves the rutting resistance and stiffness of asphalt mixtures. It also improved the fatigue life. Therefore, adding up to 3% CBA by volume to stone dust used as filler in asphalt concrete can minimize the need for stone dust and provide a suitable method of CBA disposal.

The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of incorporating crumb rubber (CR) and styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) additives, ranging from 0% to 5% by weight of bitumen, on the performance of a bituminous concrete mixture using the wet process. Laboratory experiments, including the Marshall test, were conducted to establish the optimum bitumen content (OBC) for the hot mix. The study focuses on determining the optimal proportions of CR and SBR to achieve maximum strength. The results show that increasing the proportions of both CR and SBR leads to significant improvements in strength, with the maximum stability recorded at 16.14 kN and a flow of 1.23 mm for a mix containing 5% CR and 4% SBR. The findings further suggest an inverse relationship between CR content and strength, while an increasing SBR content enhances strength. Consequently, the optimal proportions for incorporating CR and SBR additives are identified as 5% and 4%, respectively.