Paper Title
UTILIZATION OF BAMBOO FIBER IN IMPROVING THE PROPERTIES OF STONE MATRIX ASPHALT MIXES

Abstract
Stone matrix asphalt has been very first used in 1960 in Germany which now principally helps in providing a long term deformation resistance and durability to surfacing materials, comprehensive service life, enhanced ageing, and high resistance in cracking, fatigue, wear, better skid resistance and like in dipping noise. Stone matrix asphalt is a gap graded combination of aggregates which helps by maximising the asphalt-cement content and fractions of coarse aggregate. It is a steady, rut-resistant mix and tough which relies on aggregate-aggregate contact for providing strength. Beside with rich mortar binder it offers improved durability. The SMA (Stone matrix asphalt) sample is prepared by mixing coarse aggregate, fine aggregate , filler as per the gradation chart given by the standard code when using with or without stabilizer. A fiber which is available freely in nature, and is less cost effective comparing to other non- conventional fibers is small cane fiber, it has been used as stabilizer in the present work. Small cane fiber is a cellulose fiber extracted from naturally obtainable Bamboo stem. It has high strength in fibre direction, greater tensile, flexural and impact strength. An effort has been made to determine the appropriateness of small cane fiber in improving the consistancy and flow value in the mixture of Stone Matrix Asphalt Mixes. In the present work SMA mixes using stone as coarse aggregate, slag in limited replacement of coarse aggregate and used different stabilizers to compare the results at a varying bitumen content of 3,4,5,6 and 7% bitumen. The stabilizers were used at an optimum of 0.3% of the weight of sample.