Application of Phase Change Materials in Airport Runways

This project explored the feasibility of incorporating phase change material (PCM) into hot mix asphalt (HMA) in order to reduce damage caused by thermal stresses in airport pavements. PCMs release or absorb large amounts of heat during a phase change, making them ideal candidates for smoothing pavement temperature profiles. For this project, PCM-6 was used which is a blend of paraffin waxes and that changes phase at 6 °C. Thermal tests suggested that PCM-6 slowed the rate of cooling/heating and reduced the extreme temperatures. Volumetric properties of the HMA were not affected by PCM-6 when compared to a control. Further testing is required to determine the precise effects of PCM on the mechanical, thermal, and volumetric properties of HMA incorporated with PCM