Abstract
The interest in using bio-materials in pavement engineering has grown significantly over the last decades due to environmental concerns about the use of non-recoverable natural resources. In this paper, bio-materials are used together with Reclaimed Asphalt (RA) to restore some of the properties of the aged bitumen present in mixtures with high RA content. For this purpose, two bio-materials are studied and compared to conventional and polymer modified bitumens. Blends of these materials with RA bitumen were produced and studied to simulate a 50% RA mixture. The rejuvenating effect of the two bio-materials on RA has been assessed and compared with the effect of the conventional binders. Apparent Molecular Weight Distribution of the samples (obtained by the ?-method) and different rheological parameters were used for this purpose. Results revealed the power of bio-materials to rejuvenate RA bitumen, showing their capability to be used as fresh binders in high-RA content mixtures.
Highlights
The interest in using bio-materials in pavement engineering has grown significantly over the last decades due to environmental concerns about the use of non-recoverable natural resources
The aim of this paper is to study the potential of biobinders to totally replace conventional bitumen for the manufacture of asphalt mixtures with high Reclaimed Asphalt (RA) content
The investigation presented in this paper shows that biobinders have the potential to replace conventional and modified binders in the production of high-RA content mixtures (50%) at the binder level of study
Summary
The interest in using bio-materials in pavement engineering has grown significantly over the last decades due to environmental concerns about the use of non-recoverable natural resources. Biomaterials are used together with Reclaimed Asphalt (RA) to restore some of the properties of the aged bitumen present in mixtures with high RA content For this purpose, two bio-materials are studied and compared to conventional and polymer modified bitumens. Binders in RA are known to be brittle and stiff due to their exposure to climate changes and traffic loading during their service life This fact could promote the prompt appearance of non-desired distresses in the pavement (such as fatigue and thermal cracking) and prevent authorities and constructors from using RA in high contents [13; 14]. Soft conventional bitumens are becoming a limited resource and research is needed to try to replace them with other materials
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