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Polymer modified asphalt is an highly temperature sensitive material. To obtain the master curves of dynamic material functions, for this material, it is necessary to perform the testing over the temperature interval from -30˚C to at least 90˚C. Since in this temperature range the polymer modified asphalt undergoes the transition from a glass-like to a Newtonian-like material, the benefit of using three testing geometries is studied here. The geometries used were: torsion bar (for the low temperatures), plate-plate (for the mid range temperatures) and bob and cup (for the high temperatures). The advantage of the combination of these three geometries is discussed. Stress and strain controlled rheometers were used to conduct all dynamic experiments. Master curves obtained by these geometries cover up to 20 decades of the reduced frequency.

Costly deterioration of many roads and highways paved with asphalt generates a growing interest in polymer modified asphalts (PMA). Although asphalt represents only a fraction of asphalt paving mix, it is believed that it has a significant effect on the thermomechanical properties of asphalt pavements. Currently there is no consensus on the type of tests and specifications for polymer modified asphalts; however, it is clear that such specifications should be based on rheological testing of these systems. As a viscoelastic material asphalt is usually characterized by its dynamic material functions. An advantage of the use of modified loss tangent function in PMA systems is discussed in this contribution. Three polymer modifiers (SBS, EVA and EGA) commonly used in the asphalt paving industry were blended with base asphalt and various relaxations in the base, and its blends are studied here.

The possibility of using commercial rheometers for comprehensive testing of asphalt binders, asphalt mastics, and hot-mix asphalts (HMA) is explored. Samples of one polymer-modified asphalt, its mix with fine mineral filler (mastic), and one HMA prepared with the same modified asphalt as binders were tested in the dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) and the bending beam rheometer (BBR). All tested materials can be characterized by their discrete relaxation and retardation spectra (under the condition of small deformations). DSR testing was performed in the plate–plate and the torsion bar geometry. From the obtained relaxation and retardation spectra, the shear compliance, J(t), was calculated and compared with the tensile creep compliance, D(t), measured in BBR (both creep and recovery experiments were run). A simple relationship between J(t) and D(t) was found for the asphalt binder and the asphalt mastic. In the case of HMA, the bulk compliance, B(t), contributes to D(t) at short and long times. Both the Boltzmann superposition principle and the time–temperature superposition principle hold very well for all tested materials at low temperatures. There are qualitative differences, in the rheological behavior, of the asphalt binder and asphalt mastic on one side and the HMA on the other. These differences can be seen in dynamic (DSR) as well as in transient (BBR) experiments.

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The sustainable use of non-renewable natural resources, such as asphalt binder, can be achieved by adequate planning. The proper assessment of asphalt binders is a prerequisite to the appropriate designing of road constructions that can eventually result in pavements in which the development of pavement distresses can be mitigated. Rutting is the most common distress occurring at high temperatures, which is frequently experienced by such countries as Indonesia; thus, the use of adequate asphalt binder in hot mix asphalt pavements results in long-lasting road constructions. By means of advanced techniques, e.g., multiple stress creep recovery test, conducted on a dynamic shear rheometer, it is possible to determine the rutting potential of asphalt binders. This technique, however, still seems to be imprecise at currently determined shear stress values. This paper aims to investigate on the example of ten different asphalt binders, if creep and recovery measured at higher shear stresses result in better correlation with rutting potential of hot mix asphalts than that at the standardized stress levels. Concurrently, other conventional asphalt binder properties (e.g., penetration, softening point, elastic recovery) are determined and compared with rutting.

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