A micromechanical model of elastic-damage properties of innovative pothole patching materials featuring high-toughness, low-viscosity nanomolecular resin

Innovative pothole patching materials reinforced with a high-toughness, low-viscosity nanomolecular resin, dicyclopentadiene (DCPD, C ₁₀ H ₁₂ ), have been experimentally proven to be effective in repairing cracked asphalt pavements and can significantly enhance their durability and service life. In this paper, a three-dimensional micromechanical framework is proposed based on the micromechanics and continuum damage mechanics to predict the effective elastic-damage behaviors of this innovative pothole patching material under the splitting tension test (ASTM D6931). In this micromechanical model, irregular coarse aggregates are approximated and simulated by randomly allocated multi-layer-coated spherical particles in certain representative sizes. Fine aggregates, asphalt binder (PG64-10), cured DCPD (p-DCPD), and air voids are formulated into an isotropic elastic asphalt mastic matrix based on the multilevel homogenization approach. The theoretical micromechanical elastic-damage predictions are then systemically compared with properly designed laboratory experiments as well as three-dimensional finite elements numerical simulations for the innovative pothole patching materials.