We have applied dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) resin for reinforcing pothole patch materials due to its unique properties – low cost, low viscosity at beginning and ultra-toughness after curing, chemical compatibility with tar, tunable curing profile through catalyst design. In this paper, we have designed a two layer structure – well compacted base layer and DCPD reinforced 1-1.5" top layer – for pothole repair. By choosing two graded asphalt mixes, a porous top layer and fully compacted base layer was prepared after compaction and ready for DCPD resin infiltration. The DCPD curing and infiltration profile within this porous top layer was measured with thermocouples. The rutting resistance was tested with home-made wheel rutter. The cage effect due to the p-DCPD wrapping was characterized with wheel penetration test. The results showed that this two layer structure pothole repair has greatly improved properties and can be used for pothole repair to increase the service life.

Date Published: 16 April 2013
PDF: 10 pages
Proc. SPIE 8694, Nondestructive Characterization for Composite Materials, Aerospace Engineering, Civil Infrastructure, and Homeland Security 2013, 86940C (16 April 2013); doi: 10.1117/12.2009164

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 8694:
Nondestructive Characterization for Composite Materials, Aerospace Engineering, Civil Infrastructure, and Homeland Security 2013
Tzu Yang Yu, Editor(s)