Evolution of Compaction Characteristics and Void Features in Stone Mastic Asphalt Mixtures Based on Computed Tomography Images

To investigate the dynamic evolution of macro- and fine-scale characteristics during the compaction process of Stone Mastic Asphalt (SMA-13), the following methodology was employed. First, the compaction characteristics were analyzed based on the Marshall compaction test, and an exponential regression model for compaction was established. A compaction coefficient was proposed to evaluate the ease of compaction of SMA-13. Second, Marshall specimens subjected to different number of blows (5, 15, 25, 50, 75, 100, and 125 times per face) were scanned using a Computed Tomography (CT) scanner, and image processing techniques were applied to precisely extract void characteristics (void number, void area, and equivalent void diameter) under various compaction states. Third, the evolution of void characteristics in SMA-13 during the compaction process was analyzed, and correlations with macroscopic compaction properties were established. The experimental results demonstrated that SMA-13 achieved optimal compaction at an asphalt content of 5.9% and an initial compaction temperature of 170 °C. The established compaction numerical regression model can effectively characterize the compaction characteristics of SMA-13. A higher compaction coefficient indicated easier compaction and better compaction performance. During compaction of SMA-13, the void number and void area exhibited exponential decay, and voids with equivalent diameters of 1-7 mm gradually decreased, showing a non-proportional linear decay in their distribution. In contrast, voids with equivalent diameters of 0-1 mm increased during compaction, and they are the dominant component of the void structure in SMA-13. During compaction, the void ratio of SMA-13 gradually decreased along the direction of height, and the distribution of void ratio was "great at both ends and small in the middle". The void ratio at 5-55 mm decreased from about 10% to about 0%, and the void ratio distribution was relatively uniform. The void ratio at the bottom 0-5 mm and top > 50 mm was large and unevenly distributed, mostly between 10% and 40%.