DOI: 10.3390/app162110956 ISSN: 2076-3417

Performance of Asphalt Mastics and Mixtures Incorporating Recycled Fibers from Wind Turbine Blades

Junhui He, Menghan Ma, Weidi Su, Liangce Huang, Ping Li, Jiakun Lu, Zhitai Zhang, Fan Bai

To facilitate the high-value recycling of composite materials from decommissioned wind turbine blades, three recycled fiber products, RFA, RFB, and RFC, were investigated. Their macro- and micromorphological characteristics were examined, and their effects on asphalt mastic and asphalt mixtures were evaluated. A three-factor Box–Behnken design (BBD) considered mastic fiber content, mixing speed, and mixing time. The reported RFC candidate setting was 3.45% fiber by total mastic mass, 600 r/min, and 40 min; the BBD preparation temperature was not documented. Mixtures were evaluated separately at 0.3% fiber by total mixture mass and formulation-specific Marshall optimum asphalt–aggregate ratios. RFC had a dynamic stability of 2266 cycles/mm, 53.2% above the fiber-free reference, a flexural tensile strain at failure of 2651 με, and a freeze–thaw tensile strength ratio (TSR) of 91.46%. BF had the highest reported dynamic stability and residual Marshall stability; RFC had the highest reported flexural strain and TSR. At the stated prices, RFC added CNY 1.71/t in fiber-material expenditure. Incomplete preparation and specimen-level records limit reproducibility and uncertainty assessment. These laboratory observations concern complete formulations and do not establish statistical superiority, long-term durability, environmental safety, or lower total production costs.

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