Development of Novel and Affordable Chip Seals for Maintenance and Preservation of Climate-Resilient Pavement using Sustainable Materials

Pavement infrastructure is vital for quality of life, the economy, and societal prosperity. With rising demands and limited resources, maintaining and preserving this infrastructure is increasingly crucial. Severe weather and climate extremes heighten these needs. Chip seals, commonly used in Region 6 and nationwide, are essential for preserving pavements. They seal against water intrusion and improve safety by enhancing friction through better macro- and micro-texture. For effective chip sealing, high-quality cover aggregate and binder are essential. For projects involving High Friction Surface Courses, Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) and other state DOTs in Region 6 currently use Bauxite as the cover aggregate. Although effective, use of this imported material increases cost and reduces affordability. Recent developments in pavement surfaces with high reflectivity, make engineered chip sealing a suitable tool for addressing the heat island effects, particularly in urban areas. To this end, the research team will develop an innovative chip sealing technology and test it in the field using local and sustainable materials. The team seeks to use Tar Creek mine chat from Oklahoma and silica sand from Texas as cover aggregates and a specialized asphalt binder with high reflectivity to develop this innovative and affordable chip sealing technology. This specialized binder is transparent in nature and can dissipate heat faster than conventional black asphalt binder. Moreover, chat materials are very hard and angular, making them (i.e., washed chat with desired gradation) a suitable cover aggregate. Similarly, silica sands, being mined in several quarries in Texas, possess cover aggregate qualities. In the proposed study, both of these cover aggregates will be used as a replacement of Bauxite. Conventional pavements absorb and retain heat, contributing to Urban Heat Islands (UHIs), particularly in urban environments where temperatures are significantly higher than in rural areas. Chip sealing with high reflectivity will not only enhance pavement life and functionality (i.e., adequate friction) but also reduce UHIs and help combat the effects of climate change. The specific objectives of this proposed project are: (1) develop chip sealing with Tar Creek mine chat and silica sand and the specialized asphalt binder and evaluate laboratory performance; (2) use the developed chip sealings in one of the maintenance projects and evaluate field performance; (3) investigate the economic and environmental impacts related to extreme heat on socio-demographic populations and develop correlations between pavement albedo, heat index, and network centrality measures. The following tasks will be pursued in this study. Task 1: Collection of necessary materials; Task 2: Evaluation of binder properties; Task 3: Determination of cover aggregates properties; Task 4: Evaluation of compatibility between binder and aggregates; Task 5: Development of chip seal mixes; Task 6: Evaluation of laboratory performance; Task 7: Evaluation of field performance; Task 8: Assessment of socio-economic impact, and Task 9: Submission of quarterly progress reports and a final report.

• Record URL:
  • https://www.sptc.org/cy2-ou-08

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $60,001.00
• Contract Numbers:

  CY2-OU-08

  69A3552348306

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  Oklahoma Department of Transportation

  200 NE 21st Street
  Oklahoma City, OK  United States  73105
• Managing Organizations:

  Southern Plains Transportation Center

  University of Oklahoma
  202 W Boyd St, Room 213A
  Norman, OK  United States  73019
• Project Managers:

  Dunn, Denise

• Performing Organizations:

  University of Oklahoma, Norman

  School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science
  202 West Boyd Street, Room 334
  Norman, OK  United States  73019
• Principal Investigators:

  Sadri, Arif

  Ali, Syed

  Zaman, Musharraf

• Start Date: 20241001
• Expected Completion Date: 20250930
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aggregates; Chip seals; Environmental impacts; Heat; Pavement performance; Silica sands; Waste products (Materials)
• Geographic Terms: Oklahoma
• Subject Areas: Environment; Highways; Materials; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01941679
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Southern Plains Transportation Center
• Contract Numbers: CY2-OU-08, 69A3552348306
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Jan 1 2025 3:56PM