Performance Degradation Behavior and Service Life Prediction of Hydraulic Asphalt Concrete Under Long-Term Water Immersion

Abstract

Hydraulic asphalt concrete (HAC) is susceptible to performance deterioration under long-term water immersion. This study conducted compressive, tensile, and bending tests on HAC under various immersion times (0-96 h), established a multidimensional performance evaluation method, and developed a service-life prediction model for long-term water immersion. The average relative error between test values and predicted values was less than 5%, validating the model's effectiveness and applicability. Results indicate that the rate of mechanical property degradation exhibits stage-dependent characteristics with immersion time, and the water damage resistance of alkaline aggregate is significantly superior to that of acidic aggregate. The predictive model shows that after 192 h of immersion, the retention rate of key mechanical properties for the alkaline aggregate reaches 92.71%, while that for acidic aggregate was only 73.85%. This study establishes a predictive model that provides a theoretical basis for assessing the lifespan of HAC under long-term immersion conditions.

Keywords: hydraulic asphalt concrete; life prediction; performance degradation; water stability.