Performance evaluation of warm mix asphalt mixture with partial inclusion of reclaimed asphalt pavement materials

Abstract

Aggregate gradation has a vital role in performance characteristics of asphalt layers during the service life of pavement. In India pavement engineers adopt, aggregate gradation as recommended by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). Targeting the mid-point gradation as specified in MoRTH will not promise the packing characteristics of aggregates. The source of aggregate and its satisfactory properties shall be considered during the development of aggregate gradation for asphalt mixtures. In this article a study was carried to improve the packing characteristics of aggregate gradation using Bailey method. During the next stage of study modified asphalt and reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) were used with the above improved aggregate gradation, i.e. using Bailey method. The use of RAP in asphalt layers will not only solve the associated problem of landfill but also save energy and carbon emission. The base binder was modified using wax compound, Sasobit for development of Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA). The physical, composition and rheological tests were carried on base and modified binders. The test result infers that, the use of modified binder reduces the release of harmful gases. The introduction of RAP in varied packing characteristics has improved in Marshall properties, tensile strength and rutting resistance. It was observed that utilization of 20% RAP with rejuvenating agent in warm mix asphalt mixes has showed remarkable performance than mix prepared with base binder.