Advanced materials Selection for Durable Asphalt Pavements in Tropical Climates

Project lead

© B. Lammel | Bundesfoto GbR

Dr.-Ing Asres Simeneh Alamrew,
Addis Ababa Institute of Technology,
Addis Abeba, Ethiopia
in cooperation with

© B. Lammel | Bundesfoto GbR

apl. Prof. Dr.-Ing Konrad Mollenhauer,
University of Kassel,
Kassel, Germany

Project description

Asphalt roads are an essential part of our transport infrastructure. However, environmental influences and increasing traffic cause high maintenance costs. In countries with tropical climates, the permanently prevailing humidity also accelerates road damage caused by reduced adhesion between bitumen and aggregates, the two main components of asphalt.

The German-Ethiopian co-operation project ASPHALT-PROTECT is developing an innovative method for evaluating and selecting suitable combinations of these two components. This approach will improve the adhesion of both materials and increase the durability of the asphalt mixture. Resources available in Ethiopia are being tested in laboratories in Ethiopia and Germany for their adhesion properties in order to integrate them into a new type of quality assessment system for road construction projects throughout Africa.

These scientific findings are of great benefit to the economy, infrastructure and road safety. The innovative methods developed can be utilised by consultancy services in Africa, among others. Dr Asres Simeneh Alamrew receives the German-African Innovation Award (GAIIA) for his excellent and innovative research on asphalt construction materials in combination with a convincing proposal for a German-African cooperation project that further develops these research results into use-oriented solutions.

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