ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Mater.
Sec. Structural Materials
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmats.2025.1656467
A Unified Strength Model for Chemically Toughened High-Performance Asphalt Mixtures in Ultra-Thin Overlay Applications
Provisionally accepted
Bin Huang1,2
Bowen Liu1Ge Xiao3
Xin Jin1*Duyang Liu1Jinguo Liu1Chenxi Liu1Yumeng Ling1
Dikun Wang1Chengdong Xia1,4,5- 1Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha, China
- 2Hunan Provincial Expressway Group Co., Ltd., China, Changsha, China
- 3Modern Investment Co., Ltd., Changsha, China, Changsha, China
- 4Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnical University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong, HongKong, Hong Kong, SAR China
- 5Xiangjiang Laboratory, Changsha 410205, China, Changsha, China
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To enhance the mechanical performance of ultra-thin asphalt overlays subjected to heavy traffic and harsh environmental conditions, this study developed a high-performance asphalt mixture (SMA-8) incorporating a chemically toughened modified binder, specifically designed for ultra-thin overlay applications. The strength response of this mixture under varying loading rates was systematically evaluated through direct tensile, indirect tensile, and unconfined compressive tests, with emphasis on rate-dependent behavior and strength evolution across different stress states. Experimental results revealed that all strength indices increased with loading rate following power-law trends. Among them, the indirect tensile strength exhibited the highest sensitivity to loading rate, while compressive strength demonstrated the highest overall magnitude. Using Mohr-Coulomb theory, cohesion and internal friction angle were derived from tensile and compressive test results under different loading conditions. Cohesion increased significantly with loading rate, whereas the internal friction angle showed a non-monotonic variation, suggesting complex interfacial failure mechanisms. A unified strength model was proposed by establishing normalized conversion relationships among the three loading modes, providing a generalized framework for strength characterization of ultra-thin overlay materials. This study offers both theoretical insights and practical guidance for the mechanical design, strength evaluation, and engineering application of chemically modified high-performance ultra-thin overlays.
Keywords: Ultra-thin overlay, Chemically toughened asphalt, Loading rate, Strength response, Rate sensitivity, Unified strength model
Received: 30 Jun 2025; Accepted: 09 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Huang, Liu, Xiao, Jin, Liu, Liu, Liu, Ling, Wang and Xia. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Xin Jin, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha, China
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