Influences of crumb rubber size and type on reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) mixtures

Abstract

Over the years, recycling has become one of the most attractive pavement rehabilitation alternatives, and different recycling methods are now available to address specific pavement distresses and structural needs. The objective of this study was to investigate and evaluate the engineering properties of crumb rubber size and type influences on reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) mixtures. The experimental design for this study included the use of three rubber sizes and two rubber types (ambient or cryogenic) in the mixture containing 25% RAP mixtures. In this study, the results of the experiments indicated that the addition of crumb rubber was helpful in increasing the voids in mineral aggregate (VMA) in Superpave mix design and improving rutting resistance of mixture regardless of rubber size and type. On the other hand, indirect tensile strength (ITS) values show no significant difference for mixtures made with three type rubber sizes. However, the increase of rubber size, regardless of rubber type, reduced the resilient modulus values but extended the fatigue life of the modified mixtures.