A Temperature-Independent Methodology for Polymer Bitumen Modification Evaluation Based on DSR Measurement

Abstract

Owing to the continuous increase of traffic loads, bitumen modification has been manifested as an efficient methodology to enhance asphaltic pavement performance. Currently, the modification index, defined as the ratio of mechanical properties (e.g., complex modulus) before and after bitumen modification, is extensively adopted to evaluate the modification degree. However, bituminous materials behave as temperature-dependent, which indicates that the mechanical property varies with measured temperatures. As a result, the calculated modification index also shows temperature-dependent property, which inhibits the use of modification index. For this reason, this study introduced a method to eliminate the temperature-dependency of the modification index. In specific, a mathematical model considering the properties of modifiers was firstly established to predict the modification index-temperature curve (MI-T curve). In what follows, the temperature-dependency of modification index was analyzed to verify the proposed model on three types of modifiers, which were graphene, Styrene-Butadiene-Styrene (SBS), and Ethyl-Vinyl-Acetate (EVA), respectively. The results indicated that the developed model could efficiently predict the MI-T curves. Besides, the effective modification area (EMA) and optimal modification index (OMI) were two reasonable indicators that evaluate the bitumen modification without considering the temperature-dependency.

Modified Asphalt with Graphene-Enhanced Polymeric Compound: A Case Study

“…The increased stiffness at elevated temperatures can be attributed to the reduced influence of the bituminous binder as the material approaches its softening point. The GPC, on the other hand, continues to provide stability and thus represents a significant improvement over materials containing SBS polymers and especially over soft-modified or unmodified materials [77]. This is a good result because higher stiffness at high temperatures also means higher resistance to rutting phenomena [78].…”

Modified Bitumen Materials from Kazakhstani Oilfield

“…Today, the modification of bitumen with polymers is recognized as a necessary technological method for obtaining highly efficient road construction materials based on this main organic binder [9]. To achieve this goal, a lot of research have been conducted [10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. The first mention of the use of polymers (natural rubber) to improve the properties of bitumen dates back to the last century [17].…”