Styrene Butadiene Styrene (SBS) polymer-modified asphalt binders have become widely used in asphalt pavement because of their advantages in high- and low-temperature performance and fatigue resistance. Asphalt pavement is inevitably exposed to sunlight and ultraviolet (UV) radiation during its construction and service life. However, consideration of the aging effect of UV radiation is still limited in current pavement design and evaluation systems. In order to evaluate the impact of UV radiation on the aging properties of SBS-modified asphalt binders, UV aging tests were performed on Rolling Thin Film Oven Test (RTFOT)-aged samples with different UV radiation intensities and aging times. Sixteen different groups of tests were conducted to compare the rheological properties and functional group characteristics of SBS-modified asphalt binders. Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR), Bending Beam Rheometer (BBR), FTIR, and SEM tests were conducted to evaluate the aging mechanisms in various UV aging conditions. The results found that UV radiation seriously destroys the network structure formed by the cross-linking effect in SBS-modified asphalt binders, which aggravates the degradation of SBS and results in a great change of rheological properties after UV aging. The nature of SBS-modified asphalt binder aging resulted from the degradation of SBS and the changes of asphalt binder base composition, which lead to the transformation of colloidal structure and the deterioration of asphalt binder performance. The tests also found that continuous UV radiation can increase shrinkage stress in the asphalt binder surface and leads to surface cracking of the asphalt binder.
Bitumen aging can lead to the deterioration of asphalt pavement performance, shortening the service life of road. In order to solve the problem that current studies on the ultraviolet (UV) aging of bitumen either ignore the effects of natural environmental conditions or only consider the effects of water. In this study, different aqueous media and UV coupled simulated aging tests were carried out on virgin bitumen and styrene butadiene styrene (SBS) modified bitumen in a UV environment chamber. The combination of macroscopic performance tests and microstructure tests was used to analyze the physical, rheological, and microstructure changes of virgin bitumen and SBS modified bitumen after The film oven test (TFOT) aging and UV aging in different environments (UV, UV + Water, UV + Acid, UV + Salt). Dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) results indicated that UV aging results in the increase of rutting factor and the improvement of rutting resistance at high temperature. The Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FTIR) results illustrated that the bitumen would be oxidized and SBS would be degraded under ultraviolet radiation. The four-component analysis test results showed that light component migrated to the heavy component during the aging process. Moreover, water will aggravate the UV aging of bitumen, and the presence of acid or salt worsens ultraviolet aging.
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