Development of advanced temperature distribution model in hot-mix asphalt patch repair

The performance of hot-mix asphalt patch repair is greatly reduced due to inferior compaction at the interface. It is known that the faster loss of temperature at the interface is one of the primary reasons for inferior compaction. A novel controlled pothole repair system (CPRS) has been developed as part of this study. The CPRS uses infrared heating technology with enhanced features compared to many existing infrared systems. In parallel, a three-dimensional finite-element thermal model capable of modelling the loss of temperature during the patch repair process has been developed. The first part of the paper presents the functionality of CPRS, including experimental results to demonstrate various features of the system. In the second part, the numerical results are compared against experimentally measured values from a patch repair in a controlled laboratory condition. The tests are done to measure the influence of no preheating and preheating of the existing surface on the temperature loss. The results showed more than 80% agreement between simulation and actual measurements. It is also shown that preheating of the existing surface can significantly reduce temperature loss at the interface, thus allowing more time for repair and the possibility of achieving better compaction.