The prime use of asphalt for road and street construction began in the late 1800s, and grew rapidly with the emergent automobile industry. Since that time, asphalt technology has made advancements such that today the equipment, techniques and materials used to build asphalt pavement structures are highly sophisticated. Studies have shown that climate, traffic conditions, characteristics of the asphalt binder and the aggregate are the main factors that can contribute to premature pavement failures. Many countries have recently incorporated filler into their roadway specifications, which had encouraged greater use of the material. The ability of palm kernel shell ash as filler to improve the fatigue and rutting resistance of Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) as well as moisture sensitivity was investigated. In this study, the mechanistic properties of asphalt concrete mixes modified with PKA as a replacement for limestone dust mineral filler were evaluated. Five replacement rates were used; 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 percent by weight. Asphalt concrete mixes were prepared at their optimum asphalt content and then tested to evaluate their engineering properties which include moisture damage, permanent deformation and fatigue characteristics. These properties have been evaluated using marshal Stability text and indirect tensile strength. The experimental results, in general, showed that the mixes modified with PKA were found to have improved fatigue and permanent deformation characteristics, also showing lower moisture susceptibility. The use of 3 percent of PKA filler has shown a significant improvement in asphalt concrete behavior and has added to the local knowledge thus possibility of producing more durable mixtures with higher resistance to distress.
