71st RILEM Annual Week & ICACMS 2017, Chennai, India, 3rd – 8th September 2017

Study on Feasibility and Effect of Adding PCM (Phase Changing

Material) in Wearing Course using Cold Mix Technology
Piyush Sharma and Amit Goel

Transportation Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, BITS Pilani, India.

ABSTRACT
Black-top asphalt pavements can develop high surface temperatures during summers, due to
heat gain from solar radiation, as well as due to heat fluxes from vehicular traffic. Urban heat
island effect and rutting are two major problems that occur due to rise in surface temperature
of asphalt pavements. This study investigates the potential use of Phase Change Material
(PCM) to curtail the rise in temperature of asphalt pavements. PCM has high heat of fusion.
In this study, PCM was used, instead of filler material, and was mixed thoroughly with
aggregates in melted form. PCM was mixed in three different proportions using cold mix
technology. Commonly available Marshall stability test was conducted to investigate the
feasibility of mixing PCM. Indoor solar simulation test indicated lesser rise in surface
temperature of the PCM mixed specimen, as compared to the control sample. Top portions of
the sample sets showed a difference of 8.87°C and middle portions a difference of 3.31°C.
PCM proved to be promising in reducing the surface temperature of asphalt pavement.

Keywords: Cold mix technology, phase change material, temperature rise curtailment,
flexible pavement and wearing course

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Flexible pavement

The uppermost layer of flexible pavement confronts rise in temperature due to climatic
conditions as well as due to friction from rubbing action of rolling wheels. Bitumen is used as
a binder material in flexible pavements, and the bituminous mix shows a decrease in the
resilient modulus with rise in temperature. In western regions of India, like Rajasthan, where
the temperature remains above 45°C in the months of May and June, pavement surface
degrades rapidly.
Temperature of flexible pavement can rise up to 70°C during the peak of sunlight phase
[1]. This is because asphalt pavement is a black surface body that absorbs the heat energy.
Perfect black body has zero solar reflectance index, and solar reflectance index of asphalt
pavements lies between the range of 0.04 to 0.06 [2]. High temperature has adverse effect on
life span and service performance of flexible pavements. Due to heavy load and high
temperature, the risk of rutting increases in asphalt pavements. The shear stress of pavement
structure increases with increase in load and temperature [3]. In addition, as the temperature
increases, dynamic stability of base asphalt decreases [4].
Increase in pavement surface temperature can be curtailed by using various methods,
namely water spray cooling, cool pavements, and heat collection technology. Water may be

589
 International Conference on Advances in Construction Materials and Systems, Vol. 4

sprayed on pavement surface during noon. But this is inefficient as during noon time water
evaporates quickly. Cool pavements comprise of porous and permeable surface for curtailing
the rise in temperature of pavements in urban areas, thus leading to reduction in heat island in
urban parts [5]. Porous pavements are not suitable for high traffic volume roads such as
expressways and national highways. In heat collection technology, heat is collected through
copper pipes running inside the pavement [6] but this method is very expensive and cannot be
applied on large scale.

2 LITERATURE REVIEW
PCM has high latent heat storage (i.e. it absorbs or releases heat while undergoing the
phase change). Some researchers studied the indirect tensile strength and rate of rise of
temperature for PCM mixed sample [7]. It was found that the PCM could decrease the
indirect tensile strength of pavements but rate of increase of temperature for PCM specimen
was lesser. In another study, the PCM was mixed instead of fine aggregates in mortar, but
with the reduction in fine aggregates, the compressive strength of PCM mixed mortar was
found less [8]. In one study, the incorporation of PCM in cement plaster was investigated [9].
A temperature difference of 2.5°C between PCM mixed mortar and normal mortar was
found. Another study reported that the PCM mixed sample showed a delayed freezing in the
flexible pavements [10]. PCM mixed cement mortar showed satisfactory result in melting of
snow accumulated over rigid pavement by releasing the heat energy stored in the PCM [11].
Incorporating PCM in the deck of bridge can save it from freeze/ thaw damage, thus
increasing the service life of bridge by one year [12].

3 METHODOLOGY
The study was divided into three phases. Phase I: procurement of materials and properties
of procured materials, Phase II: Bituminous mix design, and Phase III: indoor solar
simulation tests.
3.1 Phase I: Procurement of materials and properties of procured materials
PCM was procured from Pluss Advanced Technologies Pvt. Ltd (India). First, locally
available PCM was procured from the manufacturer and it was stable up to 120°C as
specified by the manufacturer. It was decided to use cold mix technology for preparing the
bituminous mix. PCM used in the work was bulk PCM without any encapsulation. Chemical
formula was not provided by the manufacturer as it was a patented commercialized product.
The melting point of PCM was 46°C and it had a latent heat of 250 kJ/kg.

3.2 Phase II: Bituminous mix design

3.2.1 Mix procedure for optimum emulsion content

Aggregates and filler material gradation was selected as per IRC SP 100: 2014 and is
given in Table 1. The total weight of the aggregates and filler material was found to be 1100
g. Emulsion of varying contents of 6%, 7%, 8%, 9%, and 10% by weight of aggregates, was
mixed. This mix was dried under fan for 1-2 hours. Cold mix was kept in oven for 2 hours at
40°C. Mix was transferred to the Marshall mould with filter paper at base and top and
compacted by 50 blows on both the faces. Marshall specimens were kept in mould at room
temperature for 24 hours. After 24 hours, the samples were extracted and kept in the oven
maintained at 40°C for 72 hours. These Marshall specimens were then taken out of the oven
and allowed to cool at room temperature. Weight of specimens in air, in water and

590
 71st RILEM Annual Week & ICACMS 2017, Chennai, India, 3rd – 8th September 2017

dimensions were measured before it was subjected to Marshall stability and flow value test
using Marshall apparatus. The stability and flow values were recorded at room temperature
(around 25°C).
It was observed that two 6% and one 7% emulsion content samples failed when they were
taken out of the oven. The optimum emulsion content was found to be 9% for cold mix semi
dense bituminous concrete (CMSDBC). Marshall test results are mentioned in table 2.
Table 1 Gradation of aggregates in CMSDBC and PCM mixed samples.
Sieve size Weight Gradation for Weight Weight Weight
(mm) retaining (g) finding OEC retained for retained for retained for
(g) 5% PCM (g) 12.5% PCM (g) 20% PCM (g)
13.2 mm 0 0 0 0 0
9.5 mm 110- 0 110 100 70 60
4.75 mm 605 - 539 600 570 540 540
2.36 mm 121 - 132 125 125 120 120
1.18 mm 99 - 99 100 100 100 100
300 µm 66 - 121 90 75 65 30
75 µm 77 - 88 75 75 65 30
Total 1045 960 880
PCM (g) 55 138 220

Table 2 Marshall test results for finding the optimum emulsion content
PCM Stability Value Flow value Average Stability Average Flow Voids
(kN) (mm) (kN) (mm) (%)
6% -I - -
6% -II - - 7.1 5.36 17.2
6% -III 7.1 5.36
7% -I - -
7% -II 8.1 6.13 8.05 6.45 9.05
7% -III 8.0 6.77
8% -I 8.8 7.19
8% -II 7.8 7.13 8.27 7.08 7.62
8% -III 8.2 6.92
9% -I 8.9 7.29
9% -II 8.7 7.91 9.00 7.79 6.48
9% -III 9.4 6.89
10% -I 8.2 7.93
10% -II 8.4 8.10 8.23 7.96 5.17
10% -III 8.1 7.86

3.2.2 Mix procedure for PCM with 9% emulsion

Standard Marshall specimens (of 4 inch diameter) were prepared by mixing the PCM in
place of filler material so that the total weight of aggregates and filler material remains 1100
g. Mixture of the PCM and aggregates was prepared by mixing the PCM in liquid phase with
the aggregates and this mixture was allowed to dry. As PCM again solidified, it became the
coating of aggregates. Table 3 shows Marshall stability test results of PCM mixed samples.

591
 International Conference on Advances in Construction Materials and Systems, Vol. 4

When samples were taken out of the oven after 72 hours, two 20% PCM samples and two
12.5% PCM samples failed which is shown in Figure 1.
Thermal sensors (PT-100) were inserted in top, middle and bottom layers of the
specimen. Total six thermal sensors were inserted in specimens, and one was set to measure
the ambient air temperature. Two sets of readings were taken. In the first set, readings were
taken for top and middle layers, and in the second set, the readings were taken for middle and
bottom layers by reversing the PCM specimen.

Table 3 Marshall Test results of PCM mixed specimens

PCM Stability Value Flow value Average Stability Average Flow Voids
value (kN) value (mm)
( kN) (mm) (%)
5% -I 9.8 5.62
5% -II 8.1 6.13 8.05 6.45 5.17
5% -III 8.0 6.77
12.5% -I - -
12.5% -II - - 9.4 4.14 2.10
12.5% -III 9.4 4.14
20% -I - -
20% -II - - 10.1 2.56 1.73
20% -III 10.1 2.56

3.3 Phase III: Indoor solar simulation test

Indoor solar simulation setup is shown in Figure 2 a). A 500 watt lamp was used in the
test. The box was made up of locally available materials, with inner dimension of 53.5 cm x
45.0 cm. The inner face of box was lined with four layers of aluminum foil to achieve
maximum reflection as shown in figure 2 b).

3.3.1 Determining the height of lamp

India receives 4-7 kWh of solar radiations per square meter per day [13]. A solar radiation of
7 kWh per square meter per day was assumed to be available during summer season in
Rajasthan (as it is a desert state of India). About 50% of the radiation in upper atmosphere
was found to be infra-red radiation [14]. Consequently, 50% of radiations that reached earth
surface were assumed to be infra-red radiations. Therefore, earth surface received 3.5 kWh of
infra-red radiations per square meter per day. As in this location, the sun was assumed
available for 12 hours in a day so radiations per square meter per hour was 291.67 Wh or
0.02916 Wh of solar radiations per square centimetre per hour. Most of bulbs convert only
10% of input power into visible range and rest of the power is lost as heat energy [15]. Main
form of energy loss from bulb is in the form of infra-red radiations. 80% of input energy lost
from bulb was assumed to be infra-red radiations. Hence 500 W bulb lost 400 Wh energy in
one hour. Therefore, area required for the setup box was 13714 cm2. A factor of safety of 2.0

592
 71st RILEM Annual Week & ICACMS 2017, Chennai, India, 3rd – 8th September 2017

was assumed against this area, as it was not possible to build 100% thermodynamically
efficient box, as also the box had to be open from top to receive heat energy. Hence, an area
required for setup box was 6857 cm2. A 500W bulb was attached to the holder that had
approximate shape of truncated cone as shown in figure 3. The slant height angle with
vertical was ɵ = 39.4°. It was assumed that all the rays scatter out of the truncated cone at an
angle of 39.4° with the vertical. Hence, a height of 43.41 cm was needed from the top of
truncated cone to have an area of projection of this scatter light equal to 6857 cm2. Hence, the
height of 45 cm was kept, above the specimen. Generally, during summer season sun’s effect
can be noticed from 10 am to 4 pm which is six hours and maximum peak of intensity is
achieved between 12 pm to 2 pm, that is 2 hours. To simulate the effect of sun with a fixed
500 W bulb, the whole test was supposed to be done for a maximum intensity peak duration
that was for 12 pm to 2 pm. This was like focusing the sun’s intensity of 6 hours into 2 hours.
To achieve that, either power should have been increased by 3 times or area could have been
reduced by 3 times, hence area was reduced to 2286 cm 2. Therefore, a carton box of 53.5 cm
x 45.0 cm was selected and inner surface was lined with aluminum foil leaving an effective
dimension of 53.0 cm x 44.5cm (2358.0 cm2).

Figure 1 Failed 12.5% PCM and 20% PCM samples

593
 International Conference on Advances in Construction Materials and Systems, Vol. 4

Figure 2 a) Indoor solar simulation setup with data logger, b) Inner portion lined with
aluminium foil and specimens with PT 100

Figure 3 Sketch of heating setup with dimensions

4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

4.1 Results

4.1.1 Marshall Test results

IRC SP 100: 2014 has specified minimum Marshall stability value of 4.905 kN,
maximum Marshall flow value of 8.0 and range of percentage voids in mixture as 6-10%. 5%
PCM sample showed stability value of 8.05 kN, flow value of 6.45 and percentage void value
of 5.17%. Two 12.5% PCM specimen and two 20% PCM specimen failed when they were
taken out of the oven. Whereas 12.5% PCM and 20% PCM showed stability value of 9.4 kN
and 10.1 kN, flow value of 4.14 and 2.56 and percentage void value of 2.10% and 1.73%
respectively. It was clear from Marshall test results that incorporation of 12.5% and 20%
PCM failed. Hence 5% PCM sample was chosen for thermal test.

4.1.2 Indoor solar simulation test

In Figure 4, heating and cooling cycles is shown for bottom layer of specimens. As
compared to the control sample, the 5% PCM sample exhibited more rise in temperature.
Maximum difference of 4.13°C was noted. Figure 5 represents the heating and cooling cycle
for the middle layer. Maximum difference of 3.31°C was noted in the graph. Figure 6 clearly

594
 71st RILEM Annual Week & ICACMS 2017, Chennai, India, 3rd – 8th September 2017

shows the large temperature difference between the top layers of specimens. Maximum of
8.87°C difference was noted between both the specimens. Figure 7 shows heating and
cooling cycles for middle vs. bottom layer and top vs. middle layer of control sample. Figure
8 shows the heating and cooling cycle of PCM sample for middle vs. top layer and middle vs.
bottom layer. Control sample followed the expected result of top layer having high
temperature and bottom layer having minimum temperature in the specimen.

Figure 4 Indoor solar simulation test for bottom layer

595
 International Conference on Advances in Construction Materials and Systems, Vol. 4

Figure 5 Indoor solar simulation test for Figure 6 Heating and cooling cycle of Indoor
middle layer solar simulation test for top layer

Figure 7 Heating and cooling cycle of control sample for a) middle vs. bottom layer, and b)
top vs. middle layer
4.2 DISCUSSION

4.2.1 Marshall Test results

Incorporation of 12.5% and 20% PCM failed. 5% PCM mixed specimen showed
satisfactory Marshall stability results. It can be concluded that PCM can be mixed in the
pavement. By physical touching and appearance, it was observed that the surface of the PCM
sample was stickier than that of the control sample. Stickier wearing course may deteriorate
faster under heavy traffic and can be a nuisance to the vehicles.

4.2.2 Indoor solar simulation test

Factor of safety of 2.0 was adequate as top layer of control sample rose to 60°C. In
heating cycle (Figure 5), after 43°C, the rise of temperature in the middle layer of PCM
mixed specimen was lesser than that of the control sample. In cooling cycle, below the
melting point of PCM, it released the heat energy back to the surroundings hence, PCM

596
 71st RILEM Annual Week & ICACMS 2017, Chennai, India, 3rd – 8th September 2017

specimen had more temperature than that of the control sample. In top layers (Figure 6),
maximum of 8.87°C temperature difference was noted between both the specimens. For the
control sample, the temperature of the bottom layer of PCM specimen was found to be more
than that of the control sample as shown in figure 4. This might be because of easier transfer
of heat energy to bottom layers in PCM specimen as compared to that of the control
specimen. In Figure 7, top layers had maximum temperature and bottom layers had minimum
temperature which was expected as top layers would absorb more heat energy. In Figure 8,
top and middle layers were at almost same temperature and surprisingly bottom layers were
at higher temperature than the middle layers. This showed that PCM mixed specimen had
higher thermal conductivity and can transfer more heat to lower layers.

Figure 8 Heating and cooling cycle of PCM samples for middle vs. top layer and middle vs.
bottom layer
5. CONCLUSIONS
The present study indicates that the PCM can be incorporated in the asphalt pavements,
and have the potential to curtail the rise in temperature especially in the top layer. Although
PCM is available commercially in slightly different forms, its procurement is difficult in
India as number of manufacturers and suppliers are very limited. Hence, better supply of
good quality PCM material and more research is required to make this technology popular in
India.

6. REFERENCES

[1] W. Z., Strohschein, B. L., Reedy, D., Harrington, J. E. and Schiller W. R. Harrington, "Pavement
Temperature and Burns: Streets of Fire," Annals of Emergency Medicine, vol. 26, no. 5, pp. 563–
568, 1995.
[2] M., Nelson, P., and Thayumanavan, P. Azizian, "Environmental Impact of Highway Construction
and Repair," Waste Managment, vol. 23, no. 8, pp. 719–728, 2003.
[3] Z. , Yu-liang, C. , and Xue-lian, L. Qi-sen, "Rutting in Asphalt Pavement under Heavy Load and
High Temperature," geotechnical special publication, 2009.
[4] C., Jingb, H. , Shaopengc, W. ,Lud, W. , and Guangji,X. Meizhua, "Optimization of Phase
Change Materials Used in Asphalt Pavement," Advanced Materials Research, vol. 219-220, pp.

597
 International Conference on Advances in Construction Materials and Systems, Vol. 4

1375-1378, 2011.
[5] United States Environmental Protection Agency. EPA. "https://www.epa.gov/heat-islands/using-
cool-pavements-reduce-heat-islands
[6] R. B., Chena, B.L., and Bhowmick, S. Mallicka, "Harvesting energy from asphalt pavements and
reducing the heat island effect," International Journal of Sustainable Engineering, vol. 2, no. 3,
2009.
[7] M., Wan, L., and Lin, J. Chen, "Effect of Phase-Change Materials on Thermal and Mechanical
Properties of Asphalt Mixtures," Journal of Testing and Evaluation, vol. 40, 2012.
[8] C., Sailor, D. J., and Dusicka, P., Norvell, "The effect of microencapsulated phase-change
material on the compressive strength of structural concrete," Journal of Green Building, vol.
8(3), pp. 116-124, 2013.
[9] L., Hamid, A., Zeghmati, B.,Amara, M., Bouttout, A. and Errebai, F. B. Derradji, "Experimental
Study on the Use of Microencapsulated Phase Change Material in Walls and Roofs for Energy
Savings," Journal of Energy Engineering, vol. 10.1061/(ASCE)EY.1943-7897.0000238, 2014.
[10] J., Manninga, P. R., Bender, Sarah, A. C., Rachel, A. L., Aaron, R. S., and Rajib, B. M. Bryan,
"Assessing the feasibility of incorporating phase change material in hotmix asphalt," Sustainable
Cities and Society, vol. 19, pp. 11-16, 2015.
[11] Y., Krafcik, M., Liston,L., Washington, T. , Erk, K., Tao, B., and Weiss, J. Farnam, "Evaluating
the Use of Phase Change Materials in Concrete Pavement to Melt Ice and Snow," Journal of
Materials in Civil, vol. 10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0001439, 2015.
[12] Aaron, R., Sakulich, and Dale P. Bentz, "Increasing the Service Life of Bridge Decks by
Incorporating Phase-Change Materials to Reduce Freeze-Thaw Cycles," Journal of Materials in
Civil, vol. 24, no. 8, pp. 1034-1042, August 2012.
[13] P., and Ranjan, R. Ranjan, "A Review on CFD Based Analysis of Thermal Performance of Solar
Air Heater Having Artificial Roughness," International Journal of Current Research in Science
and Technology Performance of Solar Air Heater Having Artificial Roughness, vol. 1, no. 6, pp.
11-19, 2015.
[14] ITACA. ITACA. [Online]."http://www.itacanet.org/the-sun-as-a-source-of-energy/part-2-solar-
energy-reaching-the-earths-surface/"
[15] L.I.N., Edeko, F.O., Itabor, N.A., Olatuji, J., Ogbomida, E.T., and Emeribe, C.N. Ezemonye,
"Energy Efficient Lighting: Luminance Assessments of CFLs and Incandescent Bulbs," Journal
of Energy Technologies and Policy, vol. 4, no. 9, pp. 40-44, 2014.

598