Mechanical behaviour of sustainable Warm Mix Porous Asphalt reinforced with recycled Aramid Fibres

The pursuit of sustainable infrastructure has driven research toward innovative road pavement materials that combine environmental benefits with improved mechanical performance. The challenge of this time is to develop pavement solutions that are both durable and eco-friendly. This study explores three porous asphalt mixtures produced using Warm Mix technology, incorporating varying amounts of recycled aggregates and steel industry by-products. A control mixture (C-WPA) was compared with A-WPA, which includes RAP and EAF steel slag, and F-WPA, with the same aggregate composition but with recycled aramid pulp fibres in substitution of the traditional cellulose fibres. Through a deep laboratory analysis based on mechanical and functional tests, F-WPA demonstrated increased performance, exhibiting enhanced mechanical properties, improved fatigue resistance, and reduced abrasion loss. These results highlight the potential of aramid pulp fibres and recycled aggregates as valuable components in Warm Mix Asphalt, aiming to more resilient and sustainable road infrastructure. • Incorporating RAP and artificial aggregates in warm porous asphalt mixtures maintained or improved volumetric properties, particularly increasing air voids and cohesion. • Recycled mixtures (A-WPA and F-WPA) demonstrated better thermal and water susceptibility than conventional WPA, with superior ITSM and ITSR results, indicating enhanced long-term durability. • The addition of aramid pulp fibres significantly improved fatigue performance under cyclic loading, making the mixtures more suitable for high-stress applications in road infrastructure. • Recycled WPA mixtures exhibited comparable skid resistance and vertical permeability to conventional mixtures, confirming effective air void interconnectivity and supporting their real-world application potential.