Article

A. O. Abd El Halim, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada; Manthan Ramani ,Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada

Asphalt is sticky, black and viscous liquid substance which extensively known as bitumen and broadly useful in the construction of roads and bridge pavements. Its natural adhesive characteristics makes it possible to combine all required aggregate together to produce a greater amount of strength to sustain the higher traffic loads. Asphalt is naturally originated substance and it also could distinguish from the petroleum by products. A major application of asphalt material is to make high strength road pavements and as an adhesive to combine aggregates together for several applications. Deterioration or elimination of asphalt binder from aggregate layer due to the effect of moisture is generally named as the “stripping”. Moisture damage or stripping distress is one of the most severe causes of damage in asphalt pavement. This paper will exhibit the stripping distress due to the water (moisture) effect on the bitumen pavements and how that damages could be cured. Asphalt roads may face destructions due to water or moisture vapor. These hazards may damage roads in such critical ways which results in temporary close-up or permanent renewal of that particular pavement. This paper will discuss remedies and maintenance techniques should be taken while the stripping characteristics affect the asphalt pavements and it will also cover the basic critical points should be taken in the consideration while constructing the asphalt pavement to reduce the stripping hazard effects on it. Recommendations are also made in the research to minimize the occurrence of such premature failure resulting from stripping distress.