Suitability of PoroElastic Road Surface (PERS) for urban roads in cold regions: Mechanical and functional performance assessment

Reuse of scrap tires has become a challenge with the ever-growing traffic volume and usage of vehicles in recent years. Poroelastic Road Surface (PERS) is a novel type of pavement surface, which recycles tire rubber into low-noise pavements. This study aims to explore the suitability of PERS for urban roads in cold regions. Both laboratory tests and numerical simulations were conducted to characterize the mechanical and functional performances of PERS using a conventional porous asphalt (PA) as reference. The results indicated that the tensile strength reserve, which is the difference between the average tensile strength and the cooling-related tensile stress at a certain temperature, of PERS is higher than that of the PA at low temperature, while the ultimate tensile strain of the PERS is much larger than PA. The sound absorption coefficients of PERS have higher and wider peak compared with PA, indicating better noise absorption performance. The pavement with PA surface is more prone to surface cracks due to large tensile stresses at some specific offset locations from the loads, which do not exist in PERS. The deformation of the ice layer on top the PERS layer is larger than that on top of the PA layer at the same temperature, and the maximum horizontal strain of the PERS layer is larger than that of the PA. These findings prove the suitability of PERS for urban roads in cold regions, which can lead to significant economic and social benefits.