Analysis of Flexural Strength in Asphalt Concrete Specimens Using a Net-Shaped Inclusion of Waste Coffee Capsules

Abstract

Asphalt mixtures can include various recycled materials, which often replace some of the coarse and fine aggregate components. In some cases, a percentage of material called mineral filler, made up of particles that pass through a No. 200-sieve, is also admitted in the preparation of the mixture. With the increasing amount of packaging used as containers for various products, many of which need to be disposed of properly and become an environmental burden in warehouses without proper reuse, there is potential for including these elements in the sustainable modification of asphalt mixtures. This research suggests reusing plastic and aluminum coffee capsules, which are difficult to recycle. While most studies crush recycled materials to sizes smaller than 0.075 mm for use in mixes, this research focuses on assembling the waste capsules into a network of cells inside specimens subjected to bending to observe the mechanical behavior of the asphalt mixture. The findings indicate that incorporating capsule networks can lead to a significant enhancement in the flexural strength of the examined beams, with an increase of up to 200%. Moreover, the deformation is reduced by an average of 66% upon the emergence of the initial crack in the specimen.