Influence of Molding Process on the Performance of Sisal Fiber Cement–Emulsified Asphalt Mixture

Abstract

In order to explore the influence of the molding process on the performance of sisal fiber cement–emulsified asphalt mixture, specimens were formed by different molding processes. Different mixing methods, mixing times, and secondary compaction times were used. The effects of the different molding processes on the performance of sisal fiber cement–emulsified asphalt mixtures were investigated by low-temperature splitting test, high-temperature stability test, water stability test, water seepage test, and four-point bending test. In this paper, the gray correlation theory is used to analyze the correlation between different molding processes and the performance of the mixtures. The results show that the best mixing method to adopt is of adding aggregate and sisal fiber first, then water, then cement, and finally adding emulsified asphalt. The mixing times for the addition of aggregate and sisal fiber is 30 s, then adding water for 30 s, then adding cement for 90 s, and then adding emulsified asphalt for 90 s. The time of secondary compaction after the first compaction for 15 min is most conducive to the performance of sisal fiber cement–emulsified asphalt mixture. This paper explores the influence of the molding process on the performance of sisal fiber cement–emulsified asphalt mixture. In the subsequent construction and design of the sisal fiber cement–emulsified asphalt mixture, we can refer to the best mixing method obtained in this paper for construction and design. On the one hand, it can achieve the effect of energy savings and emissions reduction; on the other hand, it can also maximize the road performance of cement–emulsified asphalt mixture, which is of great benefit to the development of cement–emulsified asphalt mixture. As a renewable plant sisal fiber has obvious advantages: it is cheap, has good comprehensive performance, and is easy to obtain. In the past, only sisal fiber was used to make ropes, and it was not applied in the engineering field. The research of this paper also maximizes the value of sisal fiber. The results of this paper also provide new ideas and ways for the extensive use of sisal fiber.