Processing waste tyres into crumb rubber (CR) powder as an asphalt modifier is an efficient solution to solid waste management. It has been found to have significant environmental and economic benefits. However, current research on rubber modified asphalt (CRMA) mainly concentrates on improving the binder properties, overlooking the systematic research on rubber modified emulsified asphalt (E-CRMA). Thus, this study investigates the preparation and development of E-CRMA technology. To achieve rubber asphalt with low viscosity, excellent uniformity, and emulsification, CR was first activated with waste oil. Cracking catalyst was later added during the preparation process of CRMA. A controlled variable method was employed to examine the impact of preparation temperature, preparation time, CR particle size, and dosage on the production of CRMA that is suitable for emulsification. The optimal conditions for preparing E-CRMA were identified as 18 wt% 80 mesh CR mixed with asphalt, stirred at 220 ℃ for 75 min. Additionally, the impact of emulsifier and stabilizer types and quantities on E-CRMA performance were examined. The emulsification conditions of 3% medium split emulsifier and 0.77% compound organic/inorganic stabilizer were identified. The study compared and analyzed the storage stability, basic physical properties of evaporative residue, and rheological properties of E-CRMA, base emulsified asphalt (EA), SBS/SBR modified emulsified asphalt at high and low temperatures. Direct shear and tensile tests were conducted to determine the optimal amount of E-CRMA for use as an adhesive and sealing layer, which was found to be 0.8 kg/m2. The study reveals that E-CRMA possesses comparable shear and tensile properties to E-SBRMA and E-SBSMA at the optimal sprinkling amount. Moreover, the water seepage resistance of E-CRMA has shown an increase of 80%, 66.7%, 28.6%, and 21.9% over that of no sealing layer, EA, E-SBSMA, and E-SBRMA, correspondingly. The E-CRMA produced in this study broadened the application scope of CRMA, filled the gap in the research area of E-CRMA applications. In the future, it is expected to be applied to the bonding between road surface layers and the lower sealing layer between the surface layer and the base layer.
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