Low temperature performance evaluation of hard asphalt binder

Abstract

Analyzing if ductility parameter at 10°C can evaluate the low temperature performance of hard binder of 50-pen with binder tests and mixture tests. Two kinds of 50-pen asphalt are selected. The SHRP results show that both of them are PG70-16 binders. Then the mix design of AC-20 asphalt mixture was done with two 50-pen binders and one 70-pen binders. Wheel trafficking tests and splitting strength tests for freeze-thaw samples are conducted. Evaluate mixtures' low temperature performance by bending test and bending creep test. Compare 50-pen hard binders to the 70-pen binder, which PG is PG64-22, the asphalt mixture using 50-pen hard binder has better high temperature stability, and there is little difference in low temperature performance. So It is conclude that the ductility of 50-pen hard asphalt has no directly relevance with the low temperature performance of asphalt mixture.