INFLUENCE OF THERMOSETTING MODIFIERS ON THE PROPERTIES OF BITUMEN FOR THEIR APPLICATION AT THE ARRANGEMENT OF EPOXY ASPHALT PAVEMENTS ON ROAD BRIDGES

Abstract

One of the mechanisms of the destruction of asphalt concrete pavement layers on bridges, especially with an orthotropic slab, is a large final deformation, which negatively affects the long-term operational performance of the entire bridge structure. Modification of the asphalt concrete mixture with epoxy components can be very relevant to eliminate the final deformation due to their thermoreactive nature. In this review, epoxy resin and its hardener are considered as the dominant component of the epoxy-asphalt concrete composite system, and based on the results of studies on determining the effect of temperature on the rate of hardening of epoxy resin, on the results of the selection of a binder for the production of epoxy-asphalt concrete mixtures and establishing the viability of an epoxy binder with different contents of epoxy components in bitumen, this article discusses the methods and mechanism of its hardening. The research mentioned in this description is also very useful from a practical point of view, because thanks to the obtained results of determining the viscosity of epoxy-asphalt concrete, depending on the amount of epoxy components in its composition, it is possible to determine the permissible time for its arrangement, taking into account possible features. With the aim of using epoxy-asphalt concrete coatings on road bridges and thanks to the conducted studies, the influence of the introduction of epoxy components as thermosetting modifiers on the properties of bitumen was determined. The research methodology and the obtained results of already conducted research will allow to determine the possibility of using certain components for the preparation of epoxy-asphalt concrete mixtures and their viability. It will make it possible to make an optimal selection of the mixture, taking into account the variation of temperatures and the content of epoxy components. Key words: epoxy asphalt concrete, epoxy resin, coating on bridges, bitumen modification, bitumen properties, viability of modified bitumen.