Study on the temperature control effects of an epoxy resin composite thermoregulation agent on asphalt mixtures

•ERCTA can actively regulate road temperature.•The larger the amount of ERCTA is, the lower the temperature change rate.•ERCTA results in an abrupt in the specific heat capacity of the asphalt mixture.•Different dosages affect the peak heat capacity but have no effect on the trend.•The asphalt mixtures’ specific heat capacities were fitted by exponential function. The preparation of an epoxy resin composite thermoregulation agent (ERCTA) and its asphalt mixture thermoregulation effects are studied. The maximum temperature difference, latent heat-accumulated temperature value and latent heat thermoregulation index are used to characterize the ERCTA thermoregulation effects. The higher the ERCTA dosage is, the better the thermoregulation effects are, within certain limits. The ERCTA causes an abrupt change in the specific heat capacity of the asphalt mixture, and the higher its dosage is, the higher the transformation peak is. The specific heat capacity-temperature relationships of asphalt mixtures with different ERCTA dosages are obtained.