Introduction. Asphalt mixtures are one of the most widely used materials in road construction. For the production of these mixtures, mainly conditioned mineral materials are used – coarse aggregate, fine aggregate and filler, and bitumen is used as a binder.
Mineral filer is an important component of the asphalt mixture, which plays a major role in ensuring the quality of asphalt mixtures. The specific surface area of mineral filler is about 90 % of the specific surface area of mineral materials in the asphalt mix. Mineral filler plays two roles in the asphalt mixture: it fills the pores between fine and coarse aggregates and structures the bitumen.
Problem Statement. Ukrainian power generating enterprises generate millions of tons of dusty waste – fly ash - as a result of coal combustion. This material is close in grading the requirements for aggregate according to DSTU B V.2.7-121 and can probably be used for the production of asphalt mixtures.
Purpose. To determine the possibility of using fly ash for the production of asphalt mixtures by analyzing its chemical properties.
Materials and methods. During the research, we used aggregate produced by SKALA-PODILSKYI SPECIAL QUARRY LLC and fly ash from Burshtyn TPP.
Results. The test results showed that the studied fly ash can be used for the production of asphalt mixtures with a complete replacement of limestone mineral filler.
Conclusions. The study of physical and mechanical characteristics, using standard and alternative methods, made it possible to analyze the most important properties (specific surface area, porosity, bitumen capacity) of the fuel and energy industry waste in the form of fly ash studied in this work. This made it possible to determine the possibility of their use as a filler in asphalt concrete.
A comprehensive analysis of the composition and acid-base properties of anthropogenic aluminosilicate raw materials from fuel and energy enterprises in the form of fly ash from thermal power plants of various origins suggests that all the studied samples have a sufficiently high potential for use as filler.
The use of fly ash for the production of asphalt mixtures will significantly reduce the amount of waste and improve the ecological state of the environment.
