Application of Corn Stalk Fibers in SMA Mixtures

Serious environmental pollution will occur if corn stalk materials are discarded randomly or burned in open air. This study presents a possible method for using corn stalk materials to make fibers used in stone matrix asphalt (SMA) mixtures to address this problem. To obtain an in-depth understanding of the application of corn stalk fibers in SMA mixtures, basic properties such as high-temperature, low-temperature, moisture susceptibility, and fatigue performance, and the dynamic modulus were researched. The performances of SMA mixtures with lignin fibers and basalt fibers were studied as comparative research. Corn stalk fibers and basalt fibers, used as composite fibers, were incorporated jointly into the SMA mixtures, and the performance was evaluated. The test results showed that the high-temperature, low-temperature, and moisture susceptibility performance of SMA mixtures with corn stalk fibers can meet the specification requirements. The addition of corn stalk fibers and basalt fibers in SMA mixtures improved the high-temperature, low-temperature, and fatigue performance of SMA mixtures and had comparable dynamic moduli. A content of 0.6% corn stalk fibers is recommended for SMA mixtures. For the application of composite fibers, contents of 0.4% corn stalk fibers and 0.2% basalt fibers currently are recommended for SMA mixtures. In general, corn stalk fibers can be used in asphalt pavement, and the application of corn stalk fibers can reduce construction costs and environmental pollution.