Abstract
Styrene Butadiene Styrene (SBS) polymer-modified asphalt binders have become widely used in asphalt pavement because of their advantages in high- and low-temperature performance and fatigue resistance. Asphalt pavement is inevitably exposed to sunlight and ultraviolet (UV) radiation during its construction and service life. However, consideration of the aging effect of UV radiation is still limited in current pavement design and evaluation systems. In order to evaluate the impact of UV radiation on the aging properties of SBS-modified asphalt binders, UV aging tests were performed on Rolling Thin Film Oven Test (RTFOT)-aged samples with different UV radiation intensities and aging times. Sixteen different groups of tests were conducted to compare the rheological properties and functional group characteristics of SBS-modified asphalt binders. Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR), Bending Beam Rheometer (BBR), FTIR, and SEM tests were conducted to evaluate the aging mechanisms in various UV aging conditions. The results found that UV radiation seriously destroys the network structure formed by the cross-linking effect in SBS-modified asphalt binders, which aggravates the degradation of SBS and results in a great change of rheological properties after UV aging. The nature of SBS-modified asphalt binder aging resulted from the degradation of SBS and the changes of asphalt binder base composition, which lead to the transformation of colloidal structure and the deterioration of asphalt binder performance. The tests also found that continuous UV radiation can increase shrinkage stress in the asphalt binder surface and leads to surface cracking of the asphalt binder.
Highlights
Asphalt pavements are widely used in the construction of roads because of their advantages of having a smooth surface, seamlessness, lower driving noise, easy maintenance, and recyclability [1,2].Among all asphalt binder modification types, Styrene Butadiene Styrene (SBS)-modified asphalt binders are widely used in pavement areas because of their excellent performance under high and low temperature and their fatigue resistance, and they have been applied in a huge percentage of global asphalt pavement construction projects [3].Normally, asphalt binder aging is characterized into short-term aging and long-term aging.The short-term aging typically occurs at the mixing and paving process, and the long-term aging occurs during the whole service life
The nature of SBS-modified asphalt binder aging resulted from the degradation of SBS and the changes of asphalt binder base composition, which lead to the transformation of colloidal structure and the deterioration of asphalt binder performance
The Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR) and Bending Beam Rheometer (BBR) tests were to evaluate the rheological properties of the aged samples, and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy conducted to evaluate the rheological properties of the aged samples, and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) tests were conducted to evaluate the microstructure
Summary
Asphalt pavements are widely used in the construction of roads because of their advantages of having a smooth surface, seamlessness, lower driving noise, easy maintenance, and recyclability [1,2]. Researchers have found that the impact of UV radiation has led to the aging of asphalt pavements, which results in the deterioration of road performance and the reduction of road service life [6]. Some researchers pointed out that UV radiation might only impact the upper layers of the asphalt pavement surfacing, and the influence of UV radiation on asphalt aging has always been ignored in laboratory simulations of aging [7]. Durrieu [8] pointed out that the impact of UV radiation on the aging of asphalt pavements cannot be ignored, and the research found that the aging of asphalt samples under 10 hours of UV radiation in the lab was equal to the same level of Rolling Thin Film. Hu et al [18] evaluated the impacts of different wavebands of UV radiation on the aging of asphalt binder materials, and found that. Modified asphalt binders under different UV light intensities and time conditions
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