Mechanical performance and durability of asphalt mixtures incorporating coal fly ash filler for sustainable pavement applications

Mechanical performance and durability of asphalt mixtures incorporating coal fly ash filler for sustainable pavement applications | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Mechanical performance and durability of asphalt mixtures incorporating coal fly ash filler for sustainable pavement applications Mohammad Al-Zu'bi, Ashraf Abdalla M Radwan, Ahmed Suliman B. Ali, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8845377/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study investigates coal fly ash (CFA), a by-product of coal combustion, as a filler material in asphalt mixtures. Four mixtures containing 0%, 2%, 4%, and 6% CFA were evaluated through a comprehensive laboratory testing program, including Marshall Properties, Indirect Tensile Strength (ITS), Cantabro Loss, Resilient Modulus, Dynamic Creep, and Wheel Tracking tests. The incorporation of CFA resulted in consistent improvements in mechanical performance. At 6% CFA content, Marshall stiffness increased by 63% (from 4,728 to 7,697 N/mm), rut depth decreased by 24% (from 2.1 to 1.6 mm), and ITS increased significantly (from 1,006 to 1,970 kPa), indicating enhanced load-bearing capacity, deformation resistance, and tensile strength. Cantabro loss was reduced by 40% (from 8.5% to 5.1%), demonstrating improved abrasion resistance, while resilient modulus values at both 25 °C and 40 °C confirmed increased stiffness across service temperatures. Dynamic creep results further showed reduced permanent strain and higher creep stiffness with increasing CFA content. Overall, the findings demonstrate that CFA is an effective filler for enhancing the mechanical performance and durability of asphalt mixtures while enabling the beneficial reuse of industrial by-products. Coal fly ash Asphalt mixtures Mechanical performance Durability Sustainable pavement materials Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8845377","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":589224311,"identity":"a35bb652-7e5a-4aa3-8326-1371a1541c08","order_by":0,"name":"Mohammad Al-Zu'bi","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA1ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYHACxgMMDAd4+CEcZiA+QFgPWItkAwNjA0laGAwOwLUQALoNzA8O/my7I2N8/Iz5A4YK68QGxsP4rTE7wGZwQLLtGY/ZmRzDBoYz6YkNDMcSCGgBOsmw7TCP2QGgFsa2w0AtZwwIaGH/cCARqMW4/w1Qyz+itPAYHDgI1GIgAbKlgRgth3kKDjace8YjceNZ4YyEY+nGbQT9crx948MfZXfs+fuTN3z4UGMt2y9BIMRQIwJkPJsEAR1YAH8DyVpGwSgYBaNgeAMApG9QpKaLq5oAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8788-5440","institution":"Aqaba University of Technology","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mohammad","middleName":"","lastName":"Al-Zu'bi","suffix":""},{"id":589224312,"identity":"7add46b5-7da0-4886-9ae3-72a85e73c9c2","order_by":1,"name":"Ashraf Abdalla M Radwan","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ashraf","middleName":"Abdalla M","lastName":"Radwan","suffix":""},{"id":589224313,"identity":"5778dca2-13f5-41d4-a1a0-e9b05d3a8b50","order_by":2,"name":"Ahmed Suliman B. 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