Marshall Stability Test Research Articles

Integration of Lab Experiments and Simulation for Evaluating Rubberized Asphalt Mixtures Containing Recycled Asphalt

Road paving costs have significantly increased in the last decades not only because of the increase in oil price globally, which has in turn increased the prices of bitumen, transportation, coarse aggregate and fine aggregate, but also due to the shortage of these virgin materials. Thus, it is essential to find more sustainable and cost-effective road paving solutions. This research focuses on the combination of recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) and crumb rubber extracted from end-life tires and new asphalt mixtures to assess the enhancement of asphalt performance and cost minimization. The optimal percentage of RAP mixed with new asphalt including crumb rubber with achieves the highest performance, stability, and durability of pavement, while considering the economic and environmental impacts was investigated. Experimental investigations, including a universal testing machine and the Marshall stability test, were implemented to evaluate different mixing percentages of RAP and the new asphalt including crumb rubber at different bitumen contents. Abaqus software was utilized to simulate a model with the new mixture to determine the stress and deformation characteristics under different loading conditions. The findings of the experimental study from testing more than 150 samples of asphalt with different percentages of mixing illustrated that a balanced mix of 50% RAP with 50% new rubberized asphalt with a 5% bitumen content achieved the optimal balance of stability, flow and density characteristics, which will offer a promising solution for more sustainable and cost-effective road-paving solutions.

Sustainable utilisation of sugar cane molasses as a partial replacement to bitumen in bituminous pavements

Abstract Energy consumption in manufacturing bitumen is high and limited availability of non-renewable energy resources in the production of bitumen lead to explore alternatives to bitumen in road construction. The alternatives included exploration of sugar molasses that is sustainable, nontoxic, economical and environment friendly option and obtained from industrial wastes. There are more than 700 sugar factories in India and they produce Molasses as by product. The objective of this study is to determine the effect of sugarcane waste molasses in bituminous mix design. Comparison of conventional bitumen and molasses bitumen is done using laboratory tests. Bitumen has been replaced with molasses from 0% to 11% and Marshall stability test has been performed. It was observed that 10% replacement of Molasses has shown optimal results in improving the performance of the mix.

Performance evaluation of the recycled asphalt mixture based on cold patch asphalt for pavement repair

ABSTRACT Compared with a hot recycle of asphalt pavement, a cold recycle is more friendly to the environment. Moreover, it is more economical and convenient if a cold recycled asphalt mixture is stored for pothole repair. This study aims to combine cold patch technology and recycling technology to produce a recycled cold patch asphalt mixture (CPAM) and evaluate its performance. To achieve this objective, the diffusion between aged asphalt and cold patch asphalt (CPA) is evaluated to prove the promotion of stored time for the recovery of aged asphalt. Then recycled CPAM is designed according to cold patch technology combined with treatment technology of the recycled asphalt mixture. Finally, comprehensive laboratory tests, including wheel tracking tests, trabecular bending tests, immersing Marshall stability tests, Hamburg wheel-tracking tests and rubbing tests, are conducted to evaluate and compare the performances of recycled CPAM. It is found that the proposed cold patch recycle method provided significantly better high-temperature performance, low-temperature performance, moisture susceptibility and working ability of recycled CPAM. In addition, the stored time of recycled CPAM significantly influences the diffusion of CPA and recycled asphalt, which is directly related to the recovery of aged asphalt and the performance of recycled CPAM.

EVALUATION OF BITUMINOUS MIXES WITH EPOXY-MODIFIED ASPHALT BINDERS

Road surfaces have long been made with bituminous mix because of its low cost and versatile applications. However, environmental variables, traffic loads, and ageing frequently affect its endurance. Many additives have been introduced to overcome these problems, and epoxy resin has shown great promise. This study evaluates bituminous binder and bituminous mixes with different percentages of epoxy modification. Epoxy asphalt binder's (EAB) rheological properties were described. Following that, an evaluation was conducted on the engineering properties of an epoxy asphalt mixture (EAM). The results demonstrated that the rheological properties of EAB outperform those of neat binders. Furthermore, the outcomes demonstrated that EAM had better moisture damage performance in terms of static immersion test and retained Marshall stability test than the conventional hot dense graded bituminous mixes. According to the results, the ideal content for both VG 30 and VG 40 binders is 2% epoxy modification. Out of all the mix permutations, bituminous mixes with 2% epoxy modification yielded the best results. Comparing blends with control mixes or unmodified bituminous mixes, on the other hand, revealed a lower resistance to moisture damage than mixes with 3% epoxy modification with both binders. The study concludes that epoxy resin can significantly improve the performance and longevity of asphalt concrete roadways, offering benefits to the road construction industry.

Experimental Study on Pavement Performance of Warm High Modulus Mixture WHMM-13

In order to solve the dusting and rutting problems of hot mix asphalt mixture during construction and operation, rutting test, bending test, Marshall stability test, freeze-thaw splitting test, uniaxial compression dynamic modulus test, overlay test, and four-point bending fatigue life test are applied on WHMM-13 to study the high-temperature stability, low-temperature cracking resistance, water stability, anti-reflection crack performance and fatigue durability in comparison with HMM-13. The results show that, compared to HMM-13, the dynamic stability and dynamic modulus (45 ℃, 10 Hz) of WHMM- 13 are improved by 10.0% and 47% respectively, and the rutting depth is reduced by 27.3%, indicating that the high temperature stability of WHMM-13 has been greatly improved. As for low temperature cracking resistance, the bending failure strain, stiffness modulus, flexural tensile strength and rupture energy of WHMM-13 are slightly lower than those of HMM-13. As for water stability, the residual stability of WHMM-13 in immersion Marshall test is 87.5%, and the splitting strength is 82.3%, both higher than that of HMM-13. As for anti-reflection crack performance, the total tensile rupture energy of WHMM-13 is 2.32 times that of HMM-13, with cracking resistance index (CRI) increased by 25%, which shows that WHMM-13 has better strength, can effectively prevent the crack from spreading and effectively improve the cracking resistance capacity of asphalt pavement. As for fatigue durability, the fatigue life of WHMM-13 is 5.4% lower than that of HMM-13, with bending stiffness modulus and cumulative dissipation energy reduced by 11.3% and 2.8% respectively, indicating that the fatigue durability of WHMM-13 is slightly reduced.

Assessment of Semi-Flexible Pavement Using Styrene-Butadiene Emulsion Modified Cement Grout

Semi-flexible pavement (SFP) is a type of road surface that combines open-graded asphalt concrete with cement grout for wearing courses containing 18 to 28% air voids. This study investigates the effectiveness of two types of cement grouts using modified styrene-butadiene emulsions, Sika Latex and Sika Latex TH, with varying amounts ranging from 4.5% to 7.5% and 7.5% to 9%, respectively. The goal of the paper is to determine the appropriated type of styrene-butadiene emulsion type for SFP. To create the SFP, the selected grout and Vinkems Asphalsol grout with a water-cement ratio of 0.45 were poured into the asphalt structure, resulting in an SFP with 22.8% air voids. Additionally, several experiments were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of SFP. These experiments included the Marshall stability test, indirect tensile strength test, and resilient modulus test. The study results showed that Sika Latex 6.5% and Sika Latex TH 9% had good properties for use in SFP.

A Review on Developing HiPER Bituminous Mix Using Existing Binder and Modifier

Heavy commercial vehicles combined with high pavement temperatures induce higher stresses in base and surface courses layers resulting in premature pavement distresses such as rutting and cracking. Therefore, it's essential to create a binder that performs better in heat and is more elastic and rigid so that it may be utilized to bear heavy axle loads. For several years, efforts have been made in India and worldwide to develop new pavement materials and improve the specifications of paving mixes and their constituents. One of the emerging solutions is use of a French asphalt mix known as “Enrobé à Module Élevé (EME)” or “High-Modulus Asphalt (HiMA) Mix”. This mix offers unique performance characteristics such as high stiffness and durability, good resistance to permanent deformation and fatigue. Therefore, HiMA mixes also referred as High Performance (HiPER) Bituminous Mixes. EME mixes uses a hard grade binder (HB), have higher binder content and lower air voids. The unique challenges in preparation of HiPER bituminous mix is selection of bitumen, which shall be hard grade bitumen (stiffer than VG40). In India, binder stiffer than VG40 are not commonly available commercially. Also, selection of modifiers used to produce hard grade binders and to enhance the performance of the binders that provides higher resistance to permanent deformation as well as to cracking. The main focus of this study is to find potential of modifier(s) to develop hard grade binder (HB) and use of HB for the preparation of mixes at various binder content and evaluated with the target of producing HiPER bituminous mix. Marshall stability and indirect tensile strength (ITS) tests are conducted to assess the mixes for HiPER bituminous mix

The Production of Porous Asphalt Mixtures with Damping Noise Reduction and Self-Healing Properties through the Addition of Rubber Granules and Steel Wool Fibers.

Conventional asphalt roads are noisy. Currently, there are two main types of mainstream noise-reducing pavements: pore acoustic absorption and damping noise reduction. However, a single noise reduction method has limited noise reduction capability, and porous noise-reducing pavements have a shorter service life. Therefore, this paper aimed to improve the noise-damping performance of porous asphalt mixture by adding rubber granules and extending its service life using electromagnetic induction heating self-healing technology. Porosity and permeability coefficient test, Cantabro test, immersion Marshall stability test, freeze-thaw splitting test, a low-temperature three-point bending experiment, and Hamburg wheel-tracking test were conducted to investigate the pavement performance and water permeability coefficients of the mixtures. A tire drop test and the standing-wave tube method were conducted to explore their noise reduction performance. Induction heating installation was carried out to study the heating rate and healing performance. The results indicated that the road performance of the porous asphalt mixture tends to reduce with an increasing dosage of rubber granules. The road performance is not up to the required standard when the dosage of rubber granules reaches 3%. The mixture's performance of damping and noise tends to increase with the increase of rubber granule dosage. Asphalt mixtures with different rubber granule dosages have different noise absorption properties, and the mixture with 2% rubber granules has the best overall performance (a vibration attenuation coefficient of 7.752 and an average absorption factor of 0.457). The optimum healing temperature of the porous asphalt mixture containing rubber granules and steel wool fibers is 120 °C and the healing rate is 74.8% at a 2% rubber granule dosage. This paper provides valuable insights for improving the noise reduction performance and service life of porous asphalt pavements while meeting road performance standards.

Functional and structural assessment of an experimental section gap graded modified with sugarcane bagasse ash

Gap-graded aggregate combined with asphalt rubber presents a high-performance alternative for roads with heavy traffic loads, offering advantages over conventional mixtures in terms of permanent deformation (rutting), fatigue life, and texture. In this study, the conventional filler in the well-established mixture was substituted with sugarcane bagasse bottom ash (SCBA) at a proportion of 5% of the total mineral aggregates. The objective was to enhance the mechanical performance of the asphalt coating while ensuring proper disposal of this waste material. Compared to conventional filler, SCBA is less dense, has smaller dimensions, and exhibits greater roughness, thereby affecting the volumetric parameters of the Marshall mix design. Consequently, the volume of voids in mineral aggregates and voids filled with asphalt increased while maintaining the same volume of air voids (5.3%). Consequently, there was a notable increase in Marshall Stability (40%) and Indirect Tensile Test (22%) mechanical parameters. Following laboratory analysis, the modified mixtures were applied as asphalt coating on a high-traffic highway (BR-158). Field specimens revealed an 18% increase in the Resilience Modulus (4088 MPa; 3478 MPa). Additionally, its Flow Number exhibited a 73% increase (16,707; 9681), and its permanent deformation rate was 28% lower within 10,000 cycles in the dynamic creep test. This was further supported by an 11% reduction in permanent deformation rate in the Hamburg Wheel Tracking Device (HWTD) within 20,000 cycles (3.2 mm; 3.6 mm). In conclusion, the partial replacement of conventional filler with sugarcane bagasse ash within the established granulometric range has demonstrated technical feasibility both in laboratory and field settings.

Pick the butt up! Upcycling cigarette butts in road building material for sustainable road construction.

Abstract Roads are the lifeline of any nation. They are vital in passenger and freight transportation. Over usage and heavy loads put a lot of stress and strain on the health of the roads. On the other hand, cigarette butts (CB) are discarded unsafely after smoking and persist in nature as the cellulose acetate content in them, which is a microplastic, that does not decompose easily leading to a lot of littering, pollution and toxin dispersal in the environment. This proposed research utilizes the discarded cigarette butts into road construction material increasing its strength, durability and resistance against rutting while reducing costs and thermal conductivity to maintaining better surface temperatures. The utilization of discarded cigarette butts in road construction is a sustainable solution to not only strengthen the roads, but also reduce the negative environmental impact of improper cigarette butt disposal. In contrast to conventional bitumen roads, these roads possess superior toughness along with broad level durability. Multi-pronged approach to research was implemented here that included firstly a thorough literature review, conceiving the research design, conduct of research steps, evaluation of experimental results, and finally drawing conclusions from them. These experiments included retrieval of cellulose acetate from CBs, traditional physical and rheology tests, sieve analysis by Rothfuch’s technique and Marshall stability test. This paper aims to contribute to sustainable development goals by utilizing CBs to strengthen roads and clean the environment by eliminating this litter.

Comprehensive rheological and mechanistic evaluation of an asphalt binder and mixture modified with warm mix additives.

Though warm mix asphalt (WMA) technology has been introduced for a long time, there is still reluctance in the industry to utilize it in practice. In regions like India, where WMA incorporation into road construction has been limited over the past two decades, building confidence in local binders is imperative for widespread adoption. Thus, the present study appraises the effect of three commonly used WMA additives in India, namely Sasobit®, Evotherm®, and Zycotherm®, with base binder VG-30 on the rheological and mixture performance parameters. Three dosages of each WMA additive were blended with the control binder to give ten binder combinations. Different binder evaluations such as Superpave grading and parameters, frequency sweep testing, multiple stress creep recovery test, and linear amplitude sweep test were conducted for comparative dynamic mechanical analysis. Based on the binder testing results, suitable dosages of WMA additives were established, and mixture testing was carried out using these specific additive dosages. Binder evaluations showed improvement in high-temperature characteristics with Sasobit® and better fatigue performance with Evotherm®, while Zycotherm® did not alter binder properties significantly. The asphalt mixture testing results indicated satisfactory performance with the three additives based on Marshall stability and flow testing. The WMA additives also showed enhancement in moisture susceptibility based on the modified Lottman test with Zycotherm® demonstrating the best performance. Overall, the study underscores promising effects of the three WMA additives across different parameters, signaling their potential for widespread application in real-world scenarios.

Recyclability potential of waste plastic-modified asphalt concrete with consideration to its environmental impact

The use of waste plastic into asphalt concrete paving mix (ACP) has been explored in recent literature to improve the functional properties of the mix. However, exploration on their recyclability potential at the end of its service life remains scarce. This study explores the potential of recycling aged waste plastic-modified asphalt concrete (AACP) for road pavements, with focus on four commonly disposed household plastics: high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS) and polyethylene (PET). Marshall stability test, Cantabro abrasion test, indirect tensile strength test, resilient modulus (MR) test, Hamburg’s wheel tracking test and stripping test were performed to evaluate the engineering properties of recycled waste plastic-modified asphalt concrete (RACP) containing proportions ranging from 20 % to 100 % aged component (AACP) blended with virgin mixtures. This paper highlights significant engineering performance of RACP, and most notably for RACP containing PP with 20 % aged content which exhibits 1.6 times greater resistance to moisture damage compared to conventional recycled asphalt concrete (RAPA). Although RACP with HDPE and PP (consisting of 20 % and 40 % AACP in mix) yield improvements in resilient modulus over RAPA, this improvement is less pronounced for RACP with PS and PET. Overall, RACP with 40 % aged components exhibits better rutting, moisture damage and abrasion loss performance, along with improved stability and flow value. Environmental impact in terms of water leachability was also found to be negligible in this study and RACP can be considered a feasible sustainable pavement material, with potential for second and more lives.

The Effect of Crumb Rubber on Properties of Asphalt Mix by Dry Process

the use of crumb rubber modifiers by dry processis not used extensively in asphalt applications as the wet process. This study aims to investigate the effect of crumbrubber modifiers on properties and performance of asphaltmix by dry process. Thus, a set of asphalt mixturescontaining various percentages of crumb rubber modifiersmixed by the dry process were tested. Moreover, the effectof modifying conventional asphalt mixture with crumbrubber polymers was evaluated. In addition, a comparativeassessment was made to evaluate rubberized mixtures andunmodified bitumen mixture. The mixtures were assessedby using the Marshall Stability test, the wheel tracking testand the moisture susceptibility test. The study revealed thatan addition of crumb rubber modifiers to conventionalasphalt mixture enhances pavement stability and increasesits resistance to rutting and moisture damage. The studyconcludes that an addition of 2% of CR to unmodified AC16gives the most satisfactory results among other rubberizedmixtures.

Analysis of the Use of Waste Plastics Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) along with Bitumen in the Construction of Asphalt Pavement using the Marshall Test

Plastic disposal is a significant problem as it is non-biodegradable and causes air pollution if burned. The utilization of waste plastics in road construction has gained attention due to environmental concerns and the need for sustainable development of infrastructure. This research investigates the performance waste plastics, low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and, in the asphalt road along with the bitumen based on the Marshall Stability Test. The Optimum bitumen content (OBC) is found to be 5.2%. Different concentrations of LDPE (8% and 10% by weight of bitumen) were used. The use of LDPE on the asphalt pavement has Marshall Stability and Marshall flow values in the usable range as specified in the specification criteria of the Standard Specification for Road and Bridge Works (SSRBW). Also, the use of waste plastics in the pavement reduces the cost and helps to promote an environmentally friendly approach to infrastructure development.

Optimization and pavement performance of buton-rock-asphalt modified asphalt mixture with basalt-fibre

To optimise the mechanical performance of a buton-rock-asphalt (BRA)- modified asphalt mixture with basalt-fibre (BF), the optimum contents of BF and BRA, as well as the optimal asphalt stone ratio were obtained using response surface methodology (RSM). The feasibility of the mixed-ratio optimised design method was verified via a Marshall stability test. The results indicated that the optimal BF, BRA and asphalt stone ratios were 0.324 %, 22.44 % and 5.23 %, respectively. Moreover, there were some deviations between the average and predicted values of each response index. However, the error range was less than 5 %. A pavement performance index paired comparison matrix calculation method was established, and the pavement performance of the BF-BRA modified asphalt mixture was evaluated using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The process comprised eight different content combinations of BF and BRA. The maximum values of dynamic stability, bending strain, immersion Marshall residual stability, and tensile strength ration of BF-BRA modified asphalt mixture were 6512 cycles/mm, 4091 με, 97.4 %, 96.2 % respectively. This indicated that the pavement performance of asphalt mixture can be improved effectively by adding BF and BRA. Additionally, the BF-BRA modified asphalt mixture, which scored highest in pavement performance as evaluated by AHP, aligned with results obtained through response surface methodology(RSM) optimization. This consistency indicates that the BF-BRA modified asphalt mixture derived from RSM exhibits the best pavement performance.

Properties of PS-modified asphaltic concrete containing waste RHA and de-silted sand

This research evaluated the impact of incorporating waste polystyrene (PS) in bitumen-binder modification for sustainable asphalt, with replacement levels ranging from 5% to 50% by weight. Rice husk ash (RHA) was used as a filler, and de-silted sand served as the fine aggregate, while crushed granite was employed as the coarse aggregate. Various tests, including penetration, viscosity, flash point, fire point, specific gravity, ductility, and the Marshall stability test, were conducted on the asphalt binder. The modified binder's penetration, ductility, viscosity, and specific gravity decreased with increasing PS content, whereas the flash and fire points increased. Stability testing showed that at 10% PS content, the asphalt had properties suitable for heavy traffic (wearing course), with stability, flow, density, air voids, voids in mineral aggregates (VMA), and voids filled with bitumen (VFB) values of 6825 N, 3.33 mm, 2.362 g cm−3, 4.52%, 18.21%, and 75.18%, respectively. Within the 15%–45% PS content range, the modified asphalt met the criteria for medium traffic (binder course). FTIR and SEM analyses confirmed the successful synthesis of PS-modified asphalt, revealing the encapsulation of PS microspheres on the binder’s surface, forming a composite network structure in the asphalt. The study concluded that this modified asphalt, derived from waste materials, could be effectively utilized in constructing asphalt pavement courses. These findings indicate the potential for the developed modified asphalt to serve as an economical road surfacing material while addressing pollution and environmental concerns associated with waste.

RECYCLING OF ASPHALT PAVEMENT AGGREGATES AND WASTE PLASTIC BOTTLES IN ADDITION TO HOT-MIX ASPHALT PRODUCTION: ADEQUATE RECYCLING RATE

This study focused on the recycling of asphalt pavement aggregates and waste plastic bottles (WPB) in addition to hot-mix asphalt (HMA) production. To achieve this objective, non-probable sampling methods were used to gather samples from the study locations. Crushed stone aggregate (CSA), bitumen, mineral filler, reclaimed asphalt pavement aggregate (RAPA), and WPB were the ingredients employed based on the requirements in the standard specification for asphalt concrete production. Initially, the Marshall Stability Test was then carried out using CSA with 6% and bitumen levels of 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 5.5, and 6% by weight of the total mix to ascertain what the bitumen content should be with RAPA with replacement rates of 10, 20, and 30% and that of WPB with 2, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14%. In the Marshall Stability Test, which consisted of three trials of 195 samples and 60 mix designs, 45 were for the control mix and 150 for the replacement proportion. In the Marshall Stability Test, the ideal value for CSA was 5.1%; for RAPA, 5.1%; and for WPB, 7.7, 5.5, 5.4, 5.0, 5.5, and 5.4% optimum bituminous content (OBC). 20% RAPA and 10% WPB by weight of OBC in the stability-modified asphalt mix satisfies Ethiopian Road Authority (ERA) and American Society for Testing and Material (ASTM) specifications for all qualities tested. Finally, for improved asphalt mix performance, a combined 70% CSA, 20% RAPA, and 10% WPB should be used in asphalt mixes at 5.0% OBC. These experimental Marshal Stability Test findings satisfy the necessary specifications of ERA and ASTM for all tests used in HMA production. Thus, this proportion is strongly advised.

An experimental study on the tensile properties of reinforced asphalt pavement

Abstract Utilizing one of the most effective new technologies is the primary goal of this research, which uses a combination of bituminous surfacing materials with geotextile reinforcement sheets, to improve the behavior of asphalt mixes and fatigue reduction. The aim of this research is to analyze the impact of woven geotextile upon fatigue characteristics of hot mix asphalt mixtures. In order to improve the tensile qualities of the asphalt pavement, the experimental program for this study includes the application of geotextile within the wearing layer. Marshall fatigue and stability tests were carried out. Four-point bending test in a strain-controlled mode was adopted in this study. Three micro strain levels (250, 400, 750) at a frequency of 5 Hz were used. The findings demonstrated that unreinforced mixtures have a shorter fatigue life than wearing layers reinforced with geotextile. Additionally, exposure to different temperatures (5, 20, 30°C) showed that the performance of the geotextile interlayer system in cold environments is inferior to that of those in warm and moderate climates. The analyzed geotextile has a positive impact on the performance of the pavement and a large potential to extend the life of the pavement as a whole, according to the obtained results of fatigue life.

Plastic roads: asphalt mix design and performance

Plastic materials are extensively utilized in various aspects of daily life. However, the substantial amount of plastic waste generated can cause significant global environmental issues without efficient waste management practices. To address this problem, the utilization of waste plastics in high-value applications such as highway construction through hot mix asphalt (HMA) has been deemed ideal. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) are the three most prevalent types of plastic waste found in municipal solid waste. The impact of plastic-type and content on the mechanical, volumetric, and durability properties of hot mixed asphalt (HMA) was investigated by utilizing varying plastic contents of PET, LDPE, and HDPE. Tests were conducted in accordance with ASTM standards on twelve HMA mixtures made with an optimal binder content (OBC) of 4.3%, and plastic contents of 3%, 6%, 9%, and 12% by weight of OBC. Marshall stability and flow tests were conducted to ascertain the optimal plastic content for each tested mixture. The findings indicated that the stability and flow values improved as the plastic content was raised. 9% LDPE mix gave a maximum Marshal stability value of 12 kN. Additionally, as the plastic content increased, the values for air voids and voids filled with asphalt decreased in all 12 mixes tested. This research aligns with the United Nations 2030 sustainable development goals (SDGs), including SDGs 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15, and presents a viable method for implementing the 3Rs approach towards sustainable plastic waste management.

Enhancing asphalt mixture performance through waste plastic modification: a comprehensive analysis of optimal compositions and volumetric properties

ABSTRACT This study explores the innovative use of waste plastic, including polyethylene terephthalate (PET), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), as additives in VG30-grade bitumen for road construction. The research focuses on precise proportions of plastics to achieve optimal performance, utilizing a meticulous methodology involving laboratory tests, particularly the Marshall Stability (MS) test. The investigation reveals that a 3.0 % waste plastic content, specifically with 100% PET, and 5.5 % bitumen content results in the highest MS, demonstrating a 73.07 % improvement over the control mix. Additionally, the study examines the nuanced relationships between waste plastic incorporation, bitumen content, and volumetric properties such as air voids, bitumen volume, voids in mineral aggregate, and asphalt-filled voids. The findings emphasize the importance of carefully balancing these factors to achieve the desired properties in the modified asphalt mix. Notably, the 5.5 % bitumen composition consistently demonstrates superior performance across various parameters. The research contributes valuable insights into the potential enhancements brought about by waste plastic additives, particularly 100 % PET, in asphalt mixtures. The identified optimal compositions enable the development of sustainable and high-performance asphalt materials for road construction, meeting the demand for eco-friendly solutions in infrastructure development.