FIBRA Project Rijkswaterstaat

As part of the European FIBRA project (FIbre Reinforced Asphalt), BAM Infra Nederland, commissioned by Rijkswaterstaat, laid a two-kilometre trial section on the A73 near Roermond with four types of fibre-reinforced asphalt mixtures in the surface course of twin-layer porous asphalt (ZOAB). The aim: to demonstrate that aramid fibres extend the service life of porous asphalt and contribute to more durable road pavements with less maintenance.

The FIBRA project fits within Rijkswaterstaat's strategy for climate-neutral and circular infrastructure. Adding aramid fibres to the surface course of twin-layer porous asphalt extends the service life of the road surface. This means less frequent maintenance, fewer road closures and therefore lower CO2 emissions from material production and traffic diversions. Combined with BAM Infra's sustainable base layers, with reuse percentages of up to 95% and production temperatures of 105 °C instead of 165 °C, total CO2 emissions are reduced by around 30%.

The field evaluation of the FIBRA demonstration sections on the A73 shows that all sections with AsphaltX® aramid fibres (Twaron®) perform excellently. The aramid-reinforced PA 8 sections show better skid resistance values than the reference sections, with equivalent water drainage performance and longitudinal evenness. The addition of aramid fibres contributes positively to the strength and stiffness of the mixture, and possibly also to the ageing resistance of the mortar. Moreover, the workability of the fibre-reinforced PA 8 is better than that of polymer-modified asphalt, while the expected service life is at least equivalent. The FIBRA results therefore confirm that AsphaltX® with Twaron® aramid fibres is a proven and sustainable alternative to conventional polymer modification in porous asphalt.