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Pavements 2026

Pavement Innovation & Sustainability

POSTER RECEPTION (View list of posters here)

Impact of Different Curing Conditions on the Performance of Otta Seal Applications Evaluated using Sweep Test

Tuesday, June 30, 2026
4:45 PM - 6:00 PM East Coast USA Time

    Primary Author(s)

  • NM

    Neeta Mahala

    Graduate Research Assistant
    University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    Urbana, IL, United States

    • Presenter(s)

  • NM

    Neeta Mahala

    Graduate Research Assistant
    University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    Urbana, IL, United States

    • Co-Author(s)

  • TK

    Taeyun Kong

    Graduate research assistant
    University of Illinois Urbana Champaign
    Urbana, IL, United States

  • Abhilash Vyas, n/a (he/him/his)

    Graduate Research Assistant
    University of Illinois Urbana Champaign
    urbana, Illinois, United States

  • YW

    Yudi Wang, n/a

    Graduate Research Assistant
    University of illinois urbana champaign
    urbana, Illinois, United States

  • Erol Tutumluer, Ph.D.

    Professor
    University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    Urbana, Illinois, United States

  • Ramez Hajj, Ph.D.

    Assistant Professor
    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    Urbana, Illinois, United States

  • Halil Ceylan, n/a

    Professor & Director
    Iowa State University
    Ames, Iowa, United States

    • Submitter(s)

  • NM

    Neeta Mahala

    Graduate Research Assistant
    University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    Urbana, IL, United States

Abstract: Otta seal is a bituminous surface treatment used for low-volume roads, constructed by spreading graded aggregates over a layer of bituminous emulsion. It offers a low-cost and sustainable solution which utilizes locally available materials. To enhance environmental sustainability of construction, quarry by-products (QBs) offer strong potential for use in Otta seal applications. QB is a sand-sized residual material generated from quarrying operations that exhibits well-graded characteristics. An ongoing study conducted at the Illinois Center for Transportation has investigated the feasibility of utilizing QB as aggregate in Otta seal surfacing. Aggregate retention ability of Otta seal under traffic-induced abrasion strongly depends on curing, which involves breaking of emulsion and directly influences binder-aggregate adhesion. This study investigates the effects of curing temperature and duration on performance of QB-based Otta seal. Curing Otta seal specimens at higher temperatures can accelerate emulsion breaking to facilitate stronger binder-aggregate adhesion and reduced aggregate loss, whereas low temperature curing conditions may lead to weaker aggregate-binder bonds, making Otta seal more susceptible to disintegration. A total of nine samples were prepared using QB sourced from a quarry in Illinois state and HFRS-2 emulsion, under three curing temperatures of 35 °C, 50 °C, and 65 °C in a temperature-controlled oven and three curing periods of 1 hour, 6 hours, and 24 hours, followed by 24 hours of curing at room temperature to ensure all specimens were maintained under uniform conditions prior to testing. After curing, specimens were subjected to sweep testing to evaluate aggregate loss for all nine specimens. In the sweep test, a mechanical brush is used to sweep asphalt-treated specimens, thereby dislodging and removing loose surface aggregates. The findings presented in this paper will contribute to identifying the most effective curing conditions for achieving optimal binder aggregate bonding. Optimizing these curing parameters can help significantly in facilitating earlier traffic opening post-construction while maintaining adequate mechanical strength and long-term surface performance.

Learning Objectives:

Attendees can expect to learn the following from this session:
  • The findings will contribute to identifying the most effective curing conditions for achieving optimal binder aggregate bonding for QB-based Otta seal.
  • Upon successful completion of this study, optimized curing parameters can help significantly in facilitating earlier traffic opening post-construction while maintaining adequate mechanical strength and long-term surface performance.
  • This study will provide insights about performance of QB-based Otta seal under different weather or temperature conditions