Mineral filler property and its influence on mastic interfacial cohesive behavior at low temperatures

[Display omitted] •Filler properties are systematically characterized.•Granite filler shows better morphological features than limestone filler and basalt filler.•Mastic cohesive strength becomes strong with decreasing particle size.•Correlation degrees between filler properties and Mastic cohesive strength are studied. Mineral filler is a major constituent in the bituminous mix and its properties are closely related to mastic behavior. As a result, it is of great importance to appraise the relationship between filler property and mastic behavior. For this purpose, twelve mineral fillers fabricated by the same grinding and sieving methods were physically, chemically and geometrically characterized. The pull-off tensile test was employed to evaluate the cohesive behavior of varying mastics. Results showed that twelve mineral fillers presented differences in physical, chemical and geometrical properties, giving rise to the variation in mastic cohesive strength at low temperatures. Moreover, specific surface area and form factor were supposed to be the determining influential factors for mastic cohesive strength at low temperatures based on the results of grey relational analysis, regardless of filler lithology and filler particle size.