ResearchArticle
Potential Use of Volcanic Ash as Filler Material in Hot
Mix Asphalt
Basha Fayissa , Achalu Kebede , and Fekadu Fufa
Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
Correspondence should be addressed to Basha Fayissa; bashafayisa@gmail.com
Received 9 July 2022; Revised 19 November 2022; Accepted 2 December 2022; Published 15 December 2022
Academic Editor: Nikhil Saboo
Copyright © 2022 Basha Fayissa et al. Tis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License,
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Road construction often focuses on the use of conventional materials. Due to the depletion of these conventional materials, this
cannot be always true. To overcome such problems, several alternative construction materials have been proposed as sustainable
solutions. Tus, this study has investigated the potential use of volcanic ash (VA) as an alternative fller material in hot mix asphalt.
Te investigation has used laboratory scale and purposive sampling method for sample collection. Te plastic index and specifc
gravity of volcano ash are 0.92% and 2.44, respectively. Te chemical composition analysis indicated that VA is a class•N
pozzolana material. Maximum stability of 11.38 kN was obtained at full replacement of volcano ash. Te tensile strength ratio of
the mix at full replacement of CSD and volcanic ash is 82% and 98%, respectively. From the fatigue resistance analysis, the
probable failure of pavement constructed with the mixture containing VA could be improved from 16600 to 14400. Due to its
rough surface, VA has better bonding ability with bitumen compared to CSD. Te mix prepared from VA has less deformation
tendency than that prepared from CSD.
1. Introduction
To attain high quality and extended service life, the de•
mands of hot mix asphalt (HMA) for high thermal stability,
low•thermal crack resistance, and water stability have been
steadily growing with the fast growth of the economy,
science, and technology [1]. Numerous additives, including
both organic and inert, were utilized in bitumen mixes to
address these issues [2–4]. Organic additives have several
drawbacks, including high cost, sophisticated operation,
and challenging manufacturing procedures, all of which
limited their application [5]. Inert additives were viewed as
mineral fllers, which had an impact on their distribution in
bitumen and the reactivity at the fller•asphalt interface. In
reality, inert additives might increase the bondage between
bitumen and aggregates, which would enhance the quality
of the bitumen binder [6, 7]. Furthermore, the modifed
bitumen containing inert components possessed properties
like simple manufacturing method, cheap cost, and su•
perior quality, all of which are in line with China’s spec•
ifcations [8].
Fly ash and limestone dust were commonly employed
in roadway construction as typical inorganic materials.
Despite limestone being the most often used material in
road construction, studies have indicated that it is only
available as mineral fller in bitumen [9, 10]. Franesqui
et al. [11] discovered that asphalt rubber compositions
comprising high•porosity marginal volcano pebbles had
stronger resistance to moisture susceptibility. Due to the
complicated terrain and high porosity of volcanic ash, Liu
et al. [12] discovered that a solid packing•SBS•binder
system generated inside mastic might further improve the
mechanical characteristics of styrene•butadiene•styrene
(SBS) improved mixes. Liu et al. [13] investigated four
types of mixes with nano•scale VA mineral fllers,
demonstrating that the form of the sustainable cyclical
strain graph is free from loading magnitude and particle
structure.
Te authors in [14, 15] studied the road performance of
VA asphalt glue and found that natural VA could greatly
increase the superior thermal resistance of asphalt mixtures
and the low•thermal resistance of bituminous glue.
Hindawi
Advances in Civil Engineering
Volume 2022, Article ID 8486774, 8 pages
https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/8486774