# Long-Term Water Stability Analysis of Graphene-Composite-Modified Permeable Asphalt Mixture

## TL;DR

This study examines how adding graphene improves the water stability of permeable asphalt mixtures over time and under harsh conditions.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a novel analysis of long-term water stability in graphene-composite-modified permeable asphalt mixtures under multi-factor coupling.

## Key findings

- Graphene-composite and SBS-modified asphalt showed improved TSR and reduced mass loss rates.
- The modified asphalt maintained enhanced water stability even after thermal oxygen ageing.
- Graphene was uniformly dispersed, forming a 3D network structure confirmed by DSR and EDS.

## Abstract

To investigate the long-term water stability of graphene-modified permeable asphalt mixtures, in this study, we analysed the effects of single factors and multi-factor coupling. The single-factor water stability was investigated through the free thawing splitting test, standard Cantabro test, and immersion Cantabro test; the experimental indicators were the freeze–thaw cracking ratio (TSR), mass loss rate, and immersion mass loss rate, respectively. The multi-factor water stability was studied through immersion operation tests of mixtures with different degrees of ageing. The dispersion of graphene was examined through Raman mapping, the formation of three-dimensional network structures of graphene and SBS was evaluated via the dynamic shear rheometer test (DSR), and the elemental distribution was quantitatively analysed using energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and an image pixel algorithm (RGB). The results indicate that an unaged graphene-composite- and SBS-modified permeable asphalt mixture with an optimal graphene content of 0.05% demonstrated a 4.5% improvement in the TSR, alongside reductions in the mass loss rate and water immersion mass loss rate of 25.64% and 23.52%, respectively. Even after prolonged thermal oxygen ageing, its TSR, mass loss rate, and water immersion mass loss rate improved by 5.1%, 23.04%, and 20.70%, respectively. Multi-factor coupling tests confirmed that the water stability met requirements under severe conditions, with better performance at high temperatures. Graphene was uniformly dispersed in the modified asphalt. The appearance of a plateau region at low frequencies in graphene-composite- and SBS-modified asphalt verified the formation of a three-dimensional network structure, and the oxygen content was positively correlated with deepening thermal oxidative ageing.