Evaluation of Spray-on Rejuvenators - Field Trials

About the project:

Pavement preservation treatments extend the service life of pavements by minimizing moisture infiltration and slowing down the aging process for flexible pavements. This in turn leads to reduced life-cycle costs, which is of particular interest to highway agencies that often face budget limitations while striving to maintain the roadway network in optimal conditions. Spray-on rejuvenators are perceived as cost-effective pavement preservation treatments applied to pavement surfaces in good conditions to delay the aging of binder on the surface, thereby prolonging the pavement service life. The rejuvenators penetrate the pavement to revitalize the aged binder in the asphalt surface mixture and reduce moisture infiltration. VDOT currently lacks a means to approve these products or any specifications to use these products on its network. 

The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of spray-on rejuvenators in alleviating the effects of binder aging on surface asphalt mixtures through field trials to be conducted during the 2023 construction season. To that extent, two field sections in the Lynchburg district have been identified. Each section will be treated with three different spray-on rejuvenators (two bio-based products and one petroleum-based product). In addition, part of the routes will be left untreated to act as control section. To fulfill the objective of this study, a series of laboratory and field tests will be conducted at specific intervals for up to 24 months after the products’ installation. If successful, this study will also serve as a starting point for developing specifications and/or a framework to approve spray-on rejuvenator products for use in Virginia. In other words, this study will be a first phase of a multi-phase study if the effectiveness of these products is proven. 

Project Team

Co-Principal Investigators