The surface energy and bonding coefficient of asphalt are important factors that affect the adhesion performance of asphalt/aggregate. In this study, the micro-bee-like-structure of asphalt and force curves between the microscope-probe and asphalt were measured via atomic force microscopy (AFM). To investigate the influence of asphalt properties on micro-adhesion of asphalt, five types of asphalt were used in four states: original, aged at 163 °C, immersed in water and added anti-stripping agent. The results demonstrate that the surface energy of grade 90 asphalt is greater than that of grade 70 asphalt when oil source is the same and that of modified asphalt is greater than matrix asphalt. The surface energies and bonding coefficients of asphalts decreased after aging and immersion. The surface energies of asphalts were greatly improved by adding anti-stripping agent and the bonding coefficients of the asphalts increased by 5.04–37.14% after adding an anti-stripping agent.
The microstructure of asphalt affects the micro-mechanical properties. In this study, atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to investigate the surface elastic modulus and nanohardness of asphalt binder. Relevant mechanical indexes were quantitatively evaluated by contact mechanical model. Five types of asphalts, including different grades, oil sources, and before and after modification, were selected as test objects, and the effects of asphalt binder type, aging, water, and anti-stripping agent on the asphalt micromechanics were explored. The results showed that the micromechanical properties of asphalt binder are affected by grade, oil source, and modification. The aging resistance of modified asphalt binder is better than that of unmodified asphalt binder. Water immersion reduces the surface micromechanical properties of the asphalt binder. The effect of the anti-stripping agent on the modified asphalt binder is greater than that of the unmodified asphalt binder.
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