Source link : https://usa365.info/recycling-asphalt-pavement-can-help-the-environment-%E2%88%92-now-scientists-are-putting-the-safety-of-recycled-pavement-to-the-test/
The composition of the asphalt mixture making up a road can determine how safe it is for cars to drive on. Tarik Seker/iStock via Getty Images Plus
More than 90% of paved roads in the U.S. are made of asphalt, which is constructed with nonrenewable materials such as petroleum. One way to make paving more sustainable is to recycle old pavement. When roads break down and need repaving, transportation agencies can recycle their old pavement into a reusable material called reclaimed asphalt pavement, or RAP. This method reduces carbon emissions and conserves natural resources.
Nearly 95% of new asphalt pavement projects in the U.S. incorporate RAP.
However, researchers don’t know as much about the long-term safety and durability of RAP as they do about new pavement.
So, can engineers make roads more sustainable without compromising safety? As civil engineering researchers at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, we’re working with our state’s transportation department to help answer this question.
RAP and friction
Asphalt pavement is composed of asphalt binder and aggregates. Asphalt binder is typically sticky and black petroleum-based material that acts as glue, holding the pavement together.
Aggregates are solid materials, such as crushed stone, gravel or sand. The pavement manufacturers coat these aggregates with asphalt to bind them together and create a durable road surface. But both of these materials are nonrenewable.
One way to reduce the demand for new…
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Author : USA365
Publish date : 2025-05-09 03:33:00
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