scholarly journals A Synthesis on the Effects of Two Commercial Recycled Plastics on the Properties of Bitumen and Asphalt

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (20) ◽  
pp. 8594
Author(s):  
Greg White

The desire to develop sustainable infrastructure, including pavement structures and materials, is ever increasing in recent times. One opportunity is to partially replace high-cost bituminous binder with low-cost recycled plastic in asphalt mixtures. This synthesis combines the various research efforts to understand the effects of two commercially available recycled plastics, known as MR6 and MR10, on bituminous binders and asphalt mixtures. Using common test methods from the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia, generally consistent and significant effects were observed in various base bitumen grades and various common asphalt mixture types. Binder resistance to flow and binder elasticity both increased significantly and were associated with the three to four grade increases under the Performing Grading system. Similarly, mixture stiffness and mixture resistance to deformation increased significantly, while crack resistance and moisture damage resistance were not significantly affected. The effects of MR6 and MR10 were generally similar to the effects associated with conventional polymer modification of asphalt binders and asphalt mixtures, particularly those effects associated with plastomeric polymers.

Author(s):  
Moses Akentuna ◽  
Louay N. Mohammad ◽  
Sanchit Sachdeva ◽  
Samuel B. Cooper ◽  
Samuel B. Cooper

Moisture damage of asphalt mixtures is a major distress affecting the durability of asphalt pavements. The loaded wheel tracking (LWT) test is gaining popularity in determining moisture damage because of its ability to relate laboratory performance to field performance. However, the accuracy of LWT’s “pass/fail” criteria for screening mixtures is limited. The objective of this study was to evaluate the capability of the LWT test to identify moisture susceptibility of asphalt mixtures with different moisture conditioning protocols. Seven 12.5 mm asphalt mixtures with two asphalt binder types (unmodified PG 67-22 and modified PG 70-22), and three aggregate types (limestone, crushed gravel, and a semi-crushed gravel) were utilized. Asphalt binder and mixture samples were subjected to five conditioning levels, namely, a control; single freeze–thaw-; triple freeze–thaw-; MiST 3500 cycles; and MiST 7000 cycles. Frequency sweep at multiple temperatures and frequencies, and multiple stress creep recovery tests were performed to evaluate asphalt binders. LWT test was used to evaluate the asphalt mixture samples. Freeze–thaw and MiST conditioning resulted in an increase in stiffness in the asphalt binders as compared with the control. Further, freeze–thaw and MiST conditioning resulted in an increase in rut depth compared with the control asphalt mixture. The conditioning protocols evaluated were effective in exposing moisture-sensitive mixtures, which initially showed compliance with Louisiana asphalt mixture design specifications.


Author(s):  
Félix Pérez-Jiménez ◽  
Ramon Botella ◽  
Rodrigo Miró

Fatigue cracking is considered one of the main damage mechanisms in asphalt pavement design. Design methods use fatigue laws obtained by laboratory testing of the materials involved. Typically, these tests consist of subjecting the asphalt mixture to cyclic loading until failure occurs. However, failure is associated not with specimen fracture (which is unusual), but with a slight decrease in the mechanical properties of the material, usually in the complex modulus. As a consequence, it is important to differentiate between real damage to the material and changes in its viscoelastic behavior and thixotropy. It is also crucial to account for the healing that occurs in asphalt material after rest periods. The above considerations are important in the fatigue testing of asphalt binders because these materials show pronounced viscoelastic behavior and thixotropy, especially when subjected to cyclic loading. This paper demonstrates that in many cases what is taken for fatigue failure during testing (i.e., a decrease in the complex modulus below half of its initial value) is actually thixotropy. Thus, the complex modulus can be recovered by reducing the loading or, as in this study, the strain applied. In contrast, asphalt mixtures experience irreversible damage, and depending on the asphalt binder, the thixotropic effects are more or less pronounced. This paper analyzes the failure criteria currently used in the fatigue testing of asphalt mixtures and binders and evaluates the parameters chosen, namely, complex modulus (G*) and phase angle (δ) to characterize asphalt binders (G*sin δ). A cyclic uniaxial tension–compression test under strain-controlled conditions was performed. Three test modalities were used: time sweeps (constant strain amplitude until total failure), increasing strain sweeps (increase in strain amplitude every 5,000 cycles), and up-and-down strain sweeps (alternating increases and decreases in strain amplitude).


2013 ◽  
Vol 361-363 ◽  
pp. 1629-1634 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guo Xiong Wu ◽  
Xiao Ke Zhang ◽  
Rui Lin Wang

Through a comparative study of high-temperature asphalt mixture performance by three methods: the standard rutting test, uniaxial penetration test on cylindrical specimens, and slant shear test, this paper displays that the shear elastic modulus gained by both cylindrical uniaxial penetration test and slant shear test can reflect well the properties of shear deformation of asphalt mixture under high temperature. However, there are certain limitations in these test methods.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (17) ◽  
pp. 7992
Author(s):  
Yunhong Yu ◽  
Gang Xu ◽  
Tianling Wang ◽  
Huimin Chen ◽  
Houzhi Wang ◽  
...  

Nanoindentation has been applied in the field of asphalt mixtures, but, at the nano-scale, changes in the composition of the mixture and material properties can have a significant impact on the results. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the feasibility of nanoindentation tests on different types of asphalt mixtures with different gradations and the influence of material properties and test methods on nanoindentation results. In this paper, the nanoindentation test results on three kinds of asphalt mixture (AC-13, SMA-13, and OGFC-13) with different aggregate gradations were investigated. The load-displacement curves and moduli obtained from the nanoindentation tests were analyzed. In addition, nanoindentation tests were carried out before and after polishing with different ratios of filler and asphalt (RFA) (0.8–1.6). On this basis, the morphology of asphalt specimens with different RFAs is observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging. The results indicate that using the nanoindentation test to characterize the mechanical behavior of asphalt mixture, the confidence level of the dense-graded mixture is low, and non-dense-graded mixtures are used as much as possible. Moreover, results illustrate that the nanoindentation modulus tends to increase as the RFA increases. and the SEM chart shows that the higher the mineral powder content in the mastic, the more complex the bitumen and mineral powder interaction surface, confirming the influence of mineral powder content on the nanoindentation test results. Furthermore, the effect of polishing is almost insignificant.


2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 24-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juraj Šrámek

AbstractThe quality of a road is affected by its correct design, the appropriate use of materials, the effects of the climate, and the technological discipline. The deformation properties and fatigue of asphalt layers are important for the design and assessment of semi-rigid and flexible pavements. The assessment of deformation properties is performed by means of a dynamic impact test and the fatigue life of a particular asphalt mixture. An evaluation of the fatigue life is based on decreases in resistance or increases in deformations in different binders and mixtures. The test methods for the design and control of pavement construction materials determine the basic conditions valid for flexible matter. The Two-Point Bending Test was used for determining the deformation characteristics and the fatigue of asphalt mixtures at the Department of Construction Management in Zilina.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Jian Xu ◽  
Yan Gong ◽  
Li-Biao Chen ◽  
Tao Ma ◽  
Jun-Cheng Zeng ◽  
...  

Aiming to evaluate the high-temperature performance of asphalt binders and asphalt mixtures and to investigate the reliability of the standard technical indexes to evaluate the performance of the asphalt, six typically used asphalt types were employed in this study. The standard high-temperature rheological test, the multiple stress creep recovery (MSCR) test, and the zero-shear viscosity (ZSV) test were employed to characterize the high-temperature performance and non-Newtonian fluid properties of the asphalt. Meanwhile, the high-temperature performance of the asphalt mixture was evaluated through the rutting tests based on the mixture design of AC-13. In general, the modified asphalt performed better than the unmodified asphalt according to the high-temperature rheological properties tests. The ranking of the six kinds of asphalt was confirmed to be different in various laboratory tests. The test results of the asphalt binders showed that the Tafpack Super- (TPS-) modified asphalt performed best in the MSCR and ZSV tests, while the low-grade asphalt PEN20 had the best technical indexes in the dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) test. Besides, the relation between the asphalt and the asphalt mixture was analyzed by gray relational analysis (GRA) method. The present rutting indicator G ∗ / sin   δ  and  G ∗ / 1 − sin   δ ⋅   tan   δ − 1 for evaluating the asphalt mixtures’ high-temperature performance might no longer be suitable. The Cross/Williamson model was the most suitable for calculating and fitting the ZSV, which could be used as the key indicator of the high-temperature performance evaluation of the asphalt. This work lays a foundation for the further study of the high-temperature performance evaluation of asphalt binders.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hilde Soenen ◽  
Stefan Vansteenkiste ◽  
Patricia Kara De Maeijer

Moisture susceptibility is still one of the primary causes of distress in flexible pavements, reducing the pavements’ durability. A very large number of tests are available to evaluate the susceptibility of a binder aggregate combination. Tests can be conducted on the asphalt mixture, either in a loose or compacted form, or on the individual components of an asphalt pavement. Apart from various mechanisms and models, fundamental concepts have been proposed to calculate the thermodynamic tendency of a binder aggregate combination to adhere and/or debond under wet conditions. The aim of this review is to summarize literature findings and conclusions, regarding these concepts as carried out in the CEDR project FunDBits. The applied test methods, the obtained results, and the validation or predictability of these fundamental approaches are discussed.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui Yao ◽  
Zhanping You

The objectives of this research are to use micro- and nanomaterials to modify the asphalt mixture and to evaluate the mechanical performance of asphalt mixtures. These micro- and nanomaterials, including carbon microfiber, Nanomer material, nanosilica, nonmodified nanoclay, and polymer modified nanoclay, were selected to blend with the control asphalt to improve the overall performance of the modified asphalt binders and mixtures. The microstructures of original materials and asphalt binders were observed by the field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM). The mixture performance tests were employed to evaluate the resistance to rutting and permanent deformation of the modified asphalt mixtures. Test results indicate that(1)the dynamic modulus of micro- and nanomodified asphalt mixtures improved significantly;(2)the rutting susceptibility of the modified asphalt mixtures was reduced significantly compared to that of the control asphalt mixture;(3)the microstructures of modified asphalt binders were different from the control asphalt, and the structures determine the improvement in the performance of modified asphalt mixtures. These results indicate that the addition of micro- and nanomaterials enhanced the rutting performance and strength of asphalt mixtures. In addition, the analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyze the modifying effects of micro- and nanomaterials on the performance.


Author(s):  
Ibrahim A. Abdalfattah ◽  
Walaa S. Mogawer ◽  
Kevin D. Stuart

This study addresses the effects of recycled polyethylene (RPE) on the performances of both asphalt binders and asphalt mixtures. Whether using RPE in an asphalt mixture might leach harmful chemicals into rainwater or melted snow was also determined. Two processes, wet and dry, were used to formulate the RPE modified asphalt binders and mixtures. In the wet process, RPE was added to asphalt binder. In the dry process, it was added to heated aggregates. RPE from two sources and PG 64-22 virgin asphalt binders from two sources were used in this study. In conclusion, RPE improved the rutting resistance of the asphalt binders and asphalt mixtures. However, it had adverse effects on their resistance to intermediate-temperature and non-load associated cracking. The dry process could produce a mixture with a higher RPE dosage compared with the wet process using one virgin asphalt binder but not the other; thus, the virgin asphalt binder source was a significant factor for the dry process. Based on an embryotoxicity test, it was found that RPE can be used by the asphalt paving industry without creating any significant environmental risks.


2017 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 256-275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahdi Delaviz Bayekolaei ◽  
Koorosh Naderi ◽  
Fereidoon Moghadas Nejad

In recent years, the use of nano materials for improving various mechanical and performance-related properties of polymer-modified asphalt binders has been growing rapidly. However, few researches investigated the effects of base binder and styrene–butadiene–styrene (SBS) structure on rutting resistance of polymer-nanocomposite-modified asphalt mixtures. This study investigated the effect of polymer–nanocomposite modification, using two different penetration grade asphalt binders and two types of SBS, on rutting properties of asphalt mixtures. Rheological properties of modified binders, Marshall stability, resilient modulus, and rut depth in wheel-tracking tests were used to evaluate the rutting performance of the modified binders and mixtures. The results indicated that both base binder type and SBS structure had significant effect on rutting resistance of polymer-nanocomposite-modified asphalt mixtures.


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