Details:

Alternative Title:
CIVIL ENGINEERING STUDIES : Illinois Center for Transportation Series No. 11-090
Creators:
Leng, Zhen ; Al-Qadi, Imad
Leng, Zhen ; Al-Qadi, Imad Less -
Corporate Creators:
Illinois Center for Transportation
Corporate Contributors:
Illinois Tollway ; United States. Federal Highway Administration
Illinois Tollway ; United States. Federal Highway Administration Less -
Subject/TRT Terms:
[+]
Asphalt Life Cycle Analysis Life Cycle Assessment Life Cycle Cost Analysis Life Cycle Costing Paving Materials Warm-mix Asphalt Warm Mix Paving Mixtures
Publication/ Report Number:
ICT-11-090 ; UILU-ENG-2011-2016
ICT-11-090 ; UILU-ENG-2011-2016 Less -
Resource Type:
Tech Report
Geographical Coverage:
Illinois
Corporate Publisher:
Illinois Center for Transportation
Abstract:
This report presents the comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) between warm stone mastic asphalt (SMA) and conventional

SMA. Specifically, the study evaluated and compared the life cycle environmental and economic performances of two mixtures: a warm

SMA binder course mixture with a chemical additive and a control hot SMA binder course mixture. Both of these mixtures were utilized

as part of a complete overlay project on the Veterans Memorial Expressway (I-355) near Chicago as part of the Illinois Tollway system.

The results of this study indicate that the warm SMA provides significant environmental benefits compared to the control hot SMA.

When the mixing temperature was decreased from 325 to 280 oF (168 to 138 oC), the overall environmental impact of the material,

production, transportation, and placement was reduced by 6.4% due to the use of warm mix additive. More environmental benefits can

be expected if the mixing temperature is further lowered. It was also concluded that using warm mix additive slightly increases the initial

construction cost of SMA pavement. However, the warm SMA overlay allows for traffic to be opened earlier, so the user cost caused by

traffic delay is reduced, and the total economic cost of the warm SMA is lower than that of the control SMA. In addition, the warm SMA

allows for the use of a higher percentage of RAP because of less binder aging. With a 10% increase in RAP usage, the initial

construction cost of the warm SMA becomes 3.5% lower than that of the control SMA. The overall performances of the control SMA and

the warm SMA were compared by calculating a weighted environmental and economic score and the total cost (environmental, agency,

and user costs). Both the weighted score and total cost data show that the warm SMA provides better overall performance compared to

the control SMA. Therefore, besides being more environmentally friendly, the warm SMA is also economically competitive compared to

the control SMA.

This study didn’t include the cost benefits of the warm SMA due to an extended paving season and longer hauling distance because

these benefits are difficult to quantify. In addition, the warm SMA may reduce the risk of poor compaction during construction, which

ensures long-term pavement performance, and therefore saves costs related to maintenance and rehabilitation.


Format:
PDF
Collection(s):
US Transportation Collection
Main Document Checksum:
[+]
urn:sha256:bb7c5d37417a0cfd5c38fb2b1e1d39cbb9b514e082b1032a147120535f575568
Download URL:
https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/24789/dot_24789_DS1.pdf
File Type:

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