Investigation of the Rheological Properties of Asphalt Binders Modified with Nanomaterial

Abstract

This study examined the effects of the Aerosil 150 addition on the rheological characteristics of bituminous binders at various temperatures. In the study, a frequency sweep test was applied to determine the rheological properties of pure binders and binders with 2%, 4% and 6% Aerosil 150 additives. Unaged binders were subjected to the frequency sweep test using a Bohlin DSR rheometer at test temperatures ranging from 40°C to 80°C (increasing by 10°C). The results showed that adding Aerosil 150 additive to the pure binder raised the binder's complex modulus (G*) values while decreasing the phase angle (δ) values. At 40 °C 0.1 Hz frequency, 2%, 4% and 6% Aerosil 150 doped binders gave G* values 1.52, 2.02 and 3 times higher than pure binder, respectively. The same ratio is 1.31, 1.54 and 1.99 times at 5 Hz frequency and 1.28, 1.47 and 1.82 times at 10 Hz frequency. At the same temperature, as the frequency value increases, the binders' complex modulus values approach each other. When the phase angle values at 40°C were examined, the 2%, 4%, and 6% Aerosil 150 modified binders, when compared to pure binder at 0.1 Hz frequency, yielded 2.75°C, 5.56°C, and 9.17°C lower phase angle values, respectively. This decrease is 3.19, 5.04 and 7.33 °C at 5 Hz frequency and 3.09, 4.84 and 6.76 °C at 10 Hz frequency. This shows that at various frequencies, the modified binder behaves more adaptably than the pure binder. The fact that the binder has a low δ value against a high G* value indicates that it will exhibit more flexible behavior. It was discovered as a result that Aeresil 150 modified binders performed better in terms of rheological qualities than pure binders.