Study of the long-term water stability of asphalt mixtures containing steel slag aggregate.

This article aims to elucidate the long-term water stability of a steel slag asphalt mixture. Both chemical composition and physical morphology of the steel slag were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), the Vickers hardness test and mercury injection testing. Methods of testing wet-dry (W–D) cycles and freeze-thaw (F–T) cycles were designed, and corresponding indices were proposed. The immersion rutting test was conducted to explore the variation in rutting depth, and consequently, the long-term dynamic water coefficient K_l was proposed to analyze the resistance to dynamic water flushing. A regression model was used to analyze the relationship between steel slag content and long-term water stability. Finally, the long-term corrosion characteristics of the steel slag asphalt mixture were analyzed by SEM. The results show that the addition of steel slag can improve the long-term water stability of the asphalt mixture. The water stability of the steel slag asphalt mixture declines with increasing W–D and F–T cycles. The degradation trend becomes gentle after 6 W–D cycles. The attenuation of the water stability of the mixture slows after 15 F–T cycles. The long-term water stability of the steel slag asphalt mixture was evaluated by comparing the residual stability after 6 W–D cycles (MS₆) and the tensile strength ratio (TSR) of the steel slag asphalt mixture after 15 F–T cycles (TSR₁₅). The K_l value of the steel slag asphalt mixture first increases and then decreases with increasing steel slag content, and the best effect in terms of long-term dynamic water corrosion resistance is observed for a 30% steel slag asphalt mixture. The SEM results show that, for steel slag asphalt mixture water damage, the steel slag hydrates and produces microcracking on the surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]