Mechanical Performance of Asphalt Materials Under Salt Erosion Environments: A Literature Review

Asphalt pavements are subjected to both repeated vehicle loads and erosive deterioration from complicated environments in service. Salt erosion exerts a serious negative impact on the service performance of asphalt pavements in salt-rich areas such as seasonal frozen areas with snow melting and deicing, coastal areas, and saline soils areas. In recent years, the performance evolution of asphalt materials under salt erosion environments has been widely investigated. However, there is a lack of a systematic summary of salt erosion damage for asphalt materials from a multi-scale perspective. The objective in this paper is to review the performance evolution and the damage mechanism of asphalt mixtures and binders under salt erosion environments from a multi-scale perspective. The salt erosion damage and damage mechanism of asphalt mixtures is discussed. The influence of salt categories and erosion modes on the asphalt binder is classified. The salt erosion resistance of different asphalt binders is determined. In addition, the application of microscopic test methods to investigate the salt damage mechanism of asphalt binders is generalized. This review finds that the pavement performance of asphalt mixtures decreased significantly after salt erosion. A good explanation for the salt erosion mechanism of asphalt mixtures can be provided from the perspective of pores, interface adhesion, and asphalt mortar. Salt categories and erosion modes exerted great influences on the rheological performance of asphalt binders. The performance of different asphalt binders showed a remarkable diversity under salt erosion environments. In addition, the evolution of the chemical composition and microscopic morphology of asphalt binders under salt erosion environments can be well characterized by Fourier Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC), and microscopic tests. Finally, the major focus of future research and the challenges that may be encountered are discussed. From this literature review, pore expansion mechanisms differ fundamentally between conventional and salt storage asphalt mixtures. Sulfate ions exhibit stronger erosive effects than chlorides due to their chemical reactivity with asphalt components. Molecular-scale analyses confirm that salt solutions accelerate asphalt aging through light-component depletion and heavy-component accumulation. These collective findings from prior studies establish critical theoretical foundations for designing durable pavements in saline environments.