Influence of preparation methods on the performance of cold-mixed epoxy bitumen

Abstract

Cold-mixed epoxy bitumen (CEB) has been presented as an eco-friendly paving material used for steel bridge deck pavements. This study performed an investigation on three preparation methods of CEBs, which includes one kind of three-component and two kinds of two-component methods. The curing process was characterized through the viscosity measurement. Meanwhile, the microstructure of CEBs was observed using fluorescence microscopy. Mechanical properties of CEBs prepared with different methods were characterized by employing direct tensile tests and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Finally, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA/DTG) was conducted to feature the thermal stability of CEBs. The results indicated that the preparation methods significantly affected the performance of cured CEBs, although the same mix design was adopted. The curing temperature determined the curing rate of CEBs, while the preparation methods dominated the morphological characteristic of cured CEBs. The three-component preparation method can achieve acceptable mechanical performance for engineering requirements. As for two-component methods, the curing agent is supposed to be mixed with bitumen to obtain satisfying microstructures of CEBs.

Enhancement of Bonding and Mechanical Performance of Epoxy Asphalt Bond Coats with Graphene Nanoplatelets

“…Due to the presence of crosslinked epoxy networks, epoxy asphalt shows good adhesion, high strength and excellent water and solvent resistance compared to conventional thermoplastic asphalts [ 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ]. Since 1967, epoxy asphalt has been applied extensively as both the bond coat and binder in the pavement of long-span OSD bridges [ 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 ]. When used as a bonding layer in the OSD system, the epoxy asphalt bond coat (EABC) needs to have high bonding and mechanical strengths.…”

UV aging behavior and mechanism of cold‐mixed epoxy asphalt

“…12 Research on the UV aging of asphalt pavement is relatively mature. [13][14][15][16][17] A UV radiation aging gradient is known to exist in asphalt binders, 18,19 and vertical gradients of molecular sizes and oxidation product contents tend to form in asphalt films as the UV aging process proceeds. 19 UV aging primarily occurs on asphalt's surface, resulting in the attenuation of its low-temperature properties and fatigue properties and less influence on high-temperature properties.…”

“…The oxidation speed of UV radiation aging for asphalt is 1.80, which is 6.23 times that of TO aging 12 . Research on the UV aging of asphalt pavement is relatively mature 13–17 . A UV radiation aging gradient is known to exist in asphalt binders, 18,19 and vertical gradients of molecular sizes and oxidation product contents tend to form in asphalt films as the UV aging process proceeds 19 .…”