Investigating the Impact of Palm Leaf Fibers onthe Crack Resistance of Hot Asphalt Mixtures

Sustainability attracts high interest in various fields. Over 95% of roads are paved using Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA), consequently, employing one sustainable material adds significant value. In this work, modified dry methods are suggested to generate modified balls including Palm Leaf Fibers (PLFs). This study aims to evaluate the extent of improvement in HMA crack resistance using these balls. Measurements of volumetric characteristics, mixture sensitivity to moisture damage, and crack-related tests, namely, the Ideal-CT test, the Indirect Tensile Strength test (ITS), the fracture energy (Gf), the Cracking Resistance Index (CRI), the Flexibility Index (FI), and the Toughness Index (TI) were performed to assess the tensile strength of the mixtures. The results showed that the method deployed to create HMA using PLFs was effective in preventing cracks. Moreover, the results suggest that utilizing ITS test alone is insufficient in capturing all phases of mixture behavior since this test resistance to tensile cracking is largely dependent on the peak load whereas there are numerous characteristic indices, such as the CT-index, which provide a more accurate assessment. Therefore, this study offers a significant sustainable approach by modifying the mixing and improving the cracking resistance.