Effect of Extended Aging on Asphalt Materials Containing Re-Refined Engine Oil Bottoms

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The use of re-refined engine oil bottoms (REOBs) in asphalt pavements is a topic of much debate because the aging susceptibility and quantity of the additive in the binder may affect field performance. In this study, four mixtures with varying REOB contents (up to 15%) were long-term oven aged by using a high-temperature, short-duration method (135°C, 24 h) and compared with existing data on mixtures aged with more conventional short-term and long-term oven-aging procedures. The recovered binders underwent Superpave® grading, double-edge notched tension, and extended bending beam rheometer testing, and the binders were subjected to dynamic modulus, cyclic fatigue testing in the asphalt mixture performance tester, and thermal stress restrained specimen testing. Results showed a general insensitivity when short-term oven-aged (135°C, 4 h) materials were compared with long-term oven-aged (85°C, 5 days) materials, whereas the aging process at 135°C over 24 h resulted in substantial changes to the stiffness and relaxation properties across high-, intermediate-, and low-temperature modes. The difference between the stiffness-based and slope-based low-temperature performance grades appears to be an indicator for REOB modification, with the test for physical hardening of the binder being more sensitive than standard bending beam rheometer testing. The details in this paper provide information for the asphalt pavement community to consider as specifications. Standard practices are developed to address REOB modification.