Pull-out tests on bituminous specimens with steel wire mesh reinforcements

Steel reinforcements within the asphalt pavement layers have widely demonstrated to be a successful technology to avoid the propagation of bottom-up fatigue cracks. However, the tensile stresses, induced by heavy vehicles at the bottom of bound layers, induce the crossbars unthreading compromising their proper functioning. In addition, the high temperature during laying produces dilatations of the steel reinforcement. The main topic of this paper is the study of the asphalt layer—steel reinforcement system, analyzing the mechanical behavior and the construction materials optimization. Pull-out tests were carried out to evaluate the effects of three different crossbars steel reinforcement in terms of pull-out resistance. The reinforcement shape and the coating materials influence the behavior of the steel wire mesh and its interaction with the asphalt mixture.