RESPONSE OF COLD MIX ASPHALT PRODUCED WITH STRAIGHT RUN BITUMEN BLENDED WITH POLYETHYLENE TO STATIC LOADING

Abstract

Road surfacing repairs is usually done with hot mix asphalt, with concomitant challenges of risk of fire hazard and global warming, while working at desired temperatures for fluid flow of the viscous binder in the production of the bituminous materials. An alternative maintenance option is the use of cold mix asphalt, which is environmentally friendly and acts as a pollution control when produced with non-degradable polythene packaging wastes which are freely disposed off in open spaces within the rural and urban dwellings in developing nations. The successful addition of this material will (i) Free the environment from the flying polyethylene wastes (ii) Reduce the consumption rate for the bitumen and (iii) Reduce the rate of oxidation of bitumen. Cold mix asphalt binder was obtained by processing some quantity of straight-run bitumen with chemically dissolved polyethylene wastes sachets at temperature of 90 oC, with an alkaline emulsifier, chemical surfactant and water. The mix asphalt was produced at specified design mix formula of 35% coarse aggregates, 65% fine aggregate, 10% mineral filler and the optimum binder of 6%. The obtained sample was subjected to an improvised laboratory Marshall Tests, static loadings under the typical sub-tropical weather and climate in Minna, Niger state, Nigeria. It was discovered that the consolidation theory by Terzaghi perfectly applied to the asphaltic settlement and that in 20 years the magnitude of settlement will be 4.33mm and the result also shows that the asphalt is elastic in nature.