Performance evaluation indicators for asphalt pavement sealants in seasonal frozen region: An experimental study

To address the limitations of existing evaluation frameworks, this study proposes a novel performance evaluation framework for asphalt pavement sealants under low-temperature conditions. This framework integrates key indicators such as cone penetration ratio, compressive elastic recovery ratio, and low-temperature tensile stress . These indicators are developed through multiple experiments, including short-term and long-term aging, low-temperature tension, water immersion, and freeze-thaw cycles. The results reveal that cone penetration ratio and compressive elasticity recovery ratio effectively characterize the sealant’s aging resistance after both short- and long-term aging. Viscosity and penetration depth can effectively assess the suitability of the construction standards for sealants. Low-temperature tensile stress after freeze-thaw cycles robustly captures the sealant’s resistance to low-temperature cracking. Thresholds for cone penetration ratio and compressive elasticity recovery ratio are recommended to be 90 % and 30 % for short-term aging, as well as 50 % and 20 % for long-term aging, respectively. Thresholds for low-temperature tensile stress are 0.06 MPa at − 30 °C and 0.03 MPa at − 20 °C. Additionally, the adhesion performance after freeze-thaw cycles should be 0.03 MPa at − 30 °C and 0.025 MPa at − 20 °C. By employing the entropy weight-TOPSIS method, the model not only evaluates the qualification of samples but also facilitates comprehensive performance assessment across different standards. This study establishes a comprehensive framework for enhancing the application performance and durability assessment of sealants, which provides critical insights and supplementary data for performance evaluations and standard revisions in cold regions.