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Weather aging effects on modified asphalt with rubber-polyethylene composites
Yuetan Ma1, Shifeng Wang2, Miaomiao Zhang1
1Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA.
The Science of the Total Environment
|January 1, 2023
Summary
Weather aging severely degrades asphalt, but rubber-polyethylene (PE) composites enhance asphalt binder aging resistance. This study reveals how these composites improve durability against environmental stressors like UV radiation and moisture.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Civil Engineering
- Polymer Science
Background:
- Weather aging, a combination of oxygen, heat, UV radiation, and moisture, causes significant asphalt degradation.
- Understanding asphalt aging mechanisms is crucial for improving pavement durability and longevity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of weather aging on asphalt modified with rubber-polyethylene (PE) composites.
- To explore the anti-aging mechanisms of these modified asphalt binders and mixtures.
Main Methods:
- Modified asphalt binders and mixtures underwent outdoor weather aging.
- Characterization involved Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC), and optical microscopy.
- Asphalt mixture performance was assessed using Asphalt Pavement Analyzer (APA) and Ideal-CT tests.
Main Results:
- Weather aging proved more detrimental to asphalt binders than Pressure Aging Vessel (PAV) aging, primarily due to polyethylene (PE) particle degradation.
- Rubber-PE composites, when alloyed, effectively stabilized PE particles within the asphalt matrix.
- Significant improvements in aging resistance were observed in the modified binder blends.
Conclusions:
- Rubber-PE composites enhance asphalt aging resistance by stabilizing PE particles and through the dispersion of carbon black from soluble rubbers.
- Alloying rubber-PE composites offers a viable strategy to improve asphalt durability against severe weather aging conditions.
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