GROUND TIRE RUBBER ASPHALT FOR DURABLE PAVEMENTS ON HEAVY TRAFFIC ROADS IN MICHIGAN'S WET-FREEZE ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

Ground tire rubber (GTR) is a problematic waste material because it is not biodegradable. One possibility for recycling GTR is to use it as a raw material for pavement construction. GTR has attracted much attention from research institutes and the road industry because of the contribution it makes towards reducing improper waste disposal and promoting environmental sustainability. The objective of this thesis is to evaluate the performance of GTR modified asphalt mixture and styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) modified asphalt pavement by a dry process and evaluating the long-term aging performance of the GTR modified asphalt mixture. This thesis conducts the mix design of HMA incorporated with scrap tire rubber by dry process in the lab and determine the gradation of aggregate, asphalt binder content, moisture susceptibility results. The high-temperature rutting and stripping performance was estimated through the Hamburg wheel tracking device (HWTD). The low-temperature cracking resistance was evaluated by the Disc-shaped compact tension (DCT) test. The solvent extraction test was used to obtain the GTR-modified asphalt and polymer-modified asphalt, then the high temperature and low temperature of asphalt binder were estimated by the dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) and asphalt binder cracking device (ABCD). The field noise test was conducted after the construction. The long-term aging process for asphalt binder is pressure aging vessel (PAV), and the long-term aging process for asphalt mixture is conditioned at 85 ℃ for 5 days. The predicted pavement distresses were estimated based on the pavement M-E design method. The results showed that the GTR-modified asphalt mixture improve the high-temperature rutting and low-temperature cracking properties compared with the conventional asphalt mixture, after long-term aging, the GTR-modified asphalt still has the best cracking resistance compared with the conventional asphalt mixture and SBS modified asphalt mixture. In summary, the implementation of rubber technology in the project shows better high-temperature rutting and low-temperature cracking performance in asphalt pavement. Moreover, the GTR-modified asphalt mixture has comparability with polymer-modified asphalt mixture. Therefore, it is possibly acceptable to apply rubber technology to asphalt pavement when used for high-volume roads in Michigan's wet-freeze environment.