Method & Composition for Improving Asphalt Cement Concrete Characteristics

A ready-to-use additive for improving characteristics of asphalt cement concrete, comprising:

• a plurality of aramid fiber yarn segments soaked with a wetting agent, each segment comprising a plurality of aramid filaments of similar length bound loosely together by surface tension of the wetting agent;
• and
• an airtight container to prevent the wetting agent from evaporating, wherein
• the plurality of soaked aramid fiber yarn segments are stored in the airtight container so that the wetting agent does not evaporate prior to addition of the aramid fiber yarn segments to an asphalt cement concrete mixture.

A ready-to-use additive for improving characteristics of cold-mix asphalt cement concrete, consisting essentially of:

• a plurality of aramid fiber segments, each segment having a length between about 8 mm and about 100 mm;
• a wetting agent that exists as a liquid at a temperature between about 0° C. and about 50° C., the plurality of aramid fiber segments soaked with the wetting agent;
• and
• an airtight container to prevent the wetting agent from evaporating from the soaked aramid fiber segments until the soaked aramid fiber segments are metered into an asphalt cement concrete mixture, wherein
• the soaked aramid fiber segments are sealed inside the airtight container.