Abstract
The failure of bituminous pavements takes place due to heavy traffic loads and weather-related conditions, such as moisture, temperature, and UV radiation. To overcome or minimize such failures, a great effort has been put in recent years to enhance the material properties of bitumen, ultimately improving field performance and increasing the pavement service life. Polymer modification is considered one of the most suitable and by far the most popular approach. Elastomers, chemically functionalised thermoplastics and plastomers * (* Note: notwithstanding the fact that in Polymer Science the word ‘plastomer’ indicates a polymer with the simultaneous behaviour of an elastomer and plastics (thermoplastics), this paper uses the term ‘plastomer’ to indicate a thermoplastic polymer as it is more commonly found in Civil and Pavement Engineering.) are the most commonly used polymers for bitumen modification. Plastomers provide several advantages and are commonly acknowledged to improve high-temperature stiffness, although some of them are more prone to phase separation and consequent storage instability. Nowadays, due to the recent push for recycling, many road authorities are looking at the use of recycled plastics in roads. Hence, some of the available plastomers—in pellet, flakes, or powder form—are coming from materials recycling facilities rather than chemical companies. This review article describes the details of using plastomers as bitumen modifiers—with a specific focus on recycled plastics—and how these can potentially be used to enhance bitumen performance and the road durability. Chemical modifiers for improving the compatibility between plastomers and bitumen are also addressed in this review. Plastomers, either individual or in combination of two or three polymers, are found to offer great stiffness at high temperature. Different polymers including HDPE, LDPE, LLDPE, MDPE, PP, PS, PET, EMA, and EVA have been successfully employed for bitumen modification. However, each of them has its own merit and demerit as thoroughly discussed in the paper. The recent push in using recycled materials in roads has brought new light to the use of virgin and recycled plastomers for bitumen modification as a low-cost and somehow environmental beneficial solution for roads and pavements.
Highlights
Bitumen is a by-product of the petroleum industry obtained by distillation of crude oil
Failure of asphalt pavements is mostly directly related to the failure of the asphalt binder, which takes place due to either thermal cracking occurring at low temperature, rutting at high temperature resulting in softening of the bitumen and reduced elasticity of the binder, which takes place due to either thermal cracking occurring at low temperature rutting at high temperature resulting in softening of the bitumen and reduced elasticity o the bitumen, or due to fatigue cracking at intermediate temperature caused by2 ocfy5c1lic loads and ageing of the pavement [1]
The overall performance, durability characteristics as well as the failure of asphalt mixtures are highly dependent upon the characteristics of bitumen
Summary
Bitumen (or asphalt binder) is a by-product of the petroleum industry obtained by distillation of crude oil. It possesses valuable characteristics including long durability, high adhesion and water proofing abilities, which opened its ways for utilization as a road construction material [1]. The bitumen is mixed with aggregates as a binder for producing the asphalt mixture. The performance characteristics and overall durability of asphalt mixtures highly depend upon the performance of the bitumen binder. As maintenance and repair of bitumen pavements are undesirable for socio-environ bmiteunmtaenl ,aonrddeuceotnoofamtiigcureecarsaocknisn,gcaotnisnitderemraebdlieateftfeomrtpseararteusrepceanutsteodabvyociydclfiacillouardessa[n2d]. Ed on investigating the modification of bitumen to obtain en hancAesdmdaiunrtaenbainlicteyanadndrephaiirgohf-bqiutuamlietyn ppavaevmemenetsnatrse. A large aagmeionugnotf othfesptuavdeimesenfot c[1u]s. ed on investigating the modification of bitumen to obtain en hancAesdmdaiunrtaenbainlicteyanadndrephaiirgohf-bqiutuamlietyn ppavaevmemenetsnatrse. uAndmesoinragbleaflol risnovcieos-etingvairtoendmmenotadlification ashmftaniugreddhttihe-heqcosueodfanomlsoci,tumoypssiepoctdalrpyveoeomanmspioeneunrvnlsemta,ssrc.tooiAagdnapmsitfpiiodinrcnegoagrtatahiabcoellhlnemine[oo3vfffd]eo.isbrftTitiicstghauaatetimroeepdnesonpomlfeyoinbsmditticutfeooimcrnaaeitsvsinioodtniiodnemrcofeaobeditrtlahupioornoendressean,[th2ope]aofd.nltAychimeneldatemrodrgumeotrhsoaaetbmdisiblfouiitiucytiantutaatimnobodnlfeenaenidthbey obfybcithuemmeniciaslcroenascidtieorend(owneetopf trhoecemsoss)tosruimtabelcehaanndicbayl fmaritxhienmg o(sdtrpyoppurolacreaspsp) rtooacghe[t3p].olymer Tmhoedpiofileydmebritius minceonrp[4o,r5a]t—edaisntsohtohwe nbitiunmFeingueritehe1r. bIny tchheemwiceatlpreraoccteiosns,(twheet pporolycemsse)roar nd bitu mmeecnhaanriecadlimreixcitnlyg b(dlreynpdreodceasst)htoigghettepmolypmerear-tmuroediffoierdabgitiuvmenenti[m4,5e]—toaaslslhoowwfnoirnpFrigoupreer1c.hemica
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
