Asphalt Reinforcement Mesh with Thermoplastic Bitumen
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional reinforcement meshes in asphalt layers face challenges in stability and durability during installation, particularly in rough construction sites and under heavy vehicle loads, due to irregular grain sizes and shear-resistant knot adhesion, which limits the transmission of shear forces and mechanical interlocking between substructure and superstructure.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a lattice-like reinforcing mesh made of glass or carbon fiber rovings without knot adhesion, impregnated with a thermoplastic bituminous compound, which is heated to soften the fibers for adaptation to the substructure, allowing for improved mechanical interlocking and increased shear force absorption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If conventional grid structures with node adhesion are used, then the mesh maintains structural integrity during handling, but the coarse aggregate cannot penetrate the grid effectively, limiting mechanical interlocking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the mesh structure into two functional components: the grid structure providing structural integrity and the nonwoven fabric layer enabling aggregate penetration. This segmentation allows each component to fulfill its specific function without compromising the other, resolving the contradiction between maintaining mesh stability and enabling effective mechanical interlocking.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines grid structures made of fiber rovings with random fiber materials (nonwovens) to create a composite reinforcement layer. The grid provides tensile strength and structural stability, while the nonwoven fabric allows aggregate penetration and mechanical interlocking, thus resolving the contradiction between structural integrity and interlocking capability.
2Force
If the reinforcing mesh is made shear-stiff with node adhesion, then it maintains form during installation, but it prevents coarse aggregate from penetrating through to achieve mechanical interlocking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different properties to different parts of the reinforcement layer: the grid structure maintains shear stiffness for structural stability, while the nonwoven fabric layer provides local flexibility and porosity to allow aggregate penetration. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between shear resistance and aggregate penetration capability.
3Stability of the object's composition
If conventional grids are used, then they provide consistent shear stiffness, but they create waves and bond problems when driven over by construction traffic
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the reinforcement layer by incorporating a nonwoven fabric component with different mechanical properties. This nonwoven layer can deform and adapt to surface irregularities and traffic loads without creating waves, while the grid structure maintains overall shear stiffness, thus resolving the contradiction between stiffness consistency and bond reliability under traffic.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables higher shear force absorption (15kN to 30kN) and improved mechanical interlocking between the substructure and superstructure, reducing the likelihood of crack propagation and enhancing the bond between layers, while allowing for easier handling and installation, especially in curved areas.
Implementation Method 1
the reinforcing mesh is first heated at a heating station after being unwound from the roll
Implementation Method 2
the reinforcing mesh consists of glass or carbon fiber rovings which are laid on top of each other in the longitudinal and transverse directions expressly without system-related node adhesion and are only temporarily fixed to each other by impregnation in an impregnation compound, in that their intersection points are displaceable in the plane of the mesh structure after heating the impregnation compound above its melting point
Implementation Method 3
after heating the impregnation compound above its melting point so that by heating the reinforcement network at the heating station the bonds at the intersection points of the fibers are softened
Implementation Method 4
the reinforcing mesh is then passed over by at least one pressure roller so that its fibers lie firmly on the surface substrate everywhere and bond with it
Implementation Method 5
the reinforcing mesh is fed 'endlessly' as a ribbon by a moving device with a roll of reinforcing mesh to the pavement base pretreated with a bituminous bonding agent
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The grid-like reinforcement net is made of glass or carbon fiber rovings (3), which are arranged on top of one another in the longitudinal and transverse directions without node adhesion. They are temporarily fixed on top of one another by impregnation in an impregnation mass made of bitumen (1), so that the intersecting points thereof can be displaced in the net structure plane after heating the impregnation mass to above the melting point thereof. On the one side, the reinforcement net is coated with a film (2), which is burned away during installation. The installation occurs between the layer sub-structure and the layer super-structure of a layer design preferably made of asphalt layers, if need be a layer superstructure of an asphalt layer on an old concrete layer. Due to heating during installation, the connections at the intersecting points of the fibers (3) are softened. The fibers and net holes can fit closely to the applied structure and the reinforcement net meshes with the grains of said structures.