Balancing the Performance of Asphalt Binder Modified by Tire Rubber and Used Motor Oil

Abstract

The crumb rubber modifier (CRM) particles release polymeric fractions in the matrix of the asphalt binder, which increase the asphalt binder’s fatigue and rutting resistance. The used motor oil (UMO) compensates the asphalt binder for the low-molecular-weight components lost during the aging processes. Moreover, UMO could increase the asphalt binder’s fluidity and softness. Therefore, modification of the asphalt binder by CRM in combination with UMO could enhance the asphalt binder’s performance. In this paper, the asphalt binder was modified by CRM. Then, the UMO was added to the crumb rubber modified asphalt (CRMA). The neat asphalt, CRMA, and UMO–CRMA binders’ resistance to rutting and fatigue cracking was evaluated. Temperature sweep test was used to evaluate the neat and modified asphalt binders’ resistance to rutting and fatigue cracking by measuring |G*|/sinδ and |G*|.sinδ parameters, respectively. Linear amplitude sweep (LAS) test was used to analyze the neat and modified asphalt binders’ resistance to fatigue cracking by measuring the number of load repetitions to failure (Nf). It was found that using CRM and UMO enhanced the asphalt binder’s resistance to rutting and fatigue cracking. Therefore, UMO succeeded as a rejuvenator to balance the CRMA binder’s performance. This had occurred by creating a balance between the enhanced properties at high, intermediate, and low temperatures. Interaction temperature plays a dominant role in enhancing the asphalt binder’s performance: the enhancement in rutting and fatigue cracking parameters reached the highest values for CRMA or UMO–CRMA samples interacted at 190°C interaction temperature. At 220°C interaction temperature, these enhancements had decreased due to the devulcanization and depolymerization processes of the polymeric components released in the asphalt binder’s matrix.