Rubber Modified Asphalt Mixtures Research Articles

Effects of freeze-thaw cycles on fatigue performance of asphalt mixture and a fatigue-freeze-thaw damage evolution model

To study the effect of freeze-thaw (FT) cycles on the fatigue performance of composite crumb rubber modified asphalt mixtures (CCRMA), a semicircular bending fatigue test based on the digital image correlation technique (DIC) was used to measure the fatigue life (Nf) of CCRMA and SBS modified asphalt mixtures (SBSMA) and the horizontal strain (Exx) of the DIC deformation field under repeated loading. The variation laws of Nf, Exx and the damage factor (D) defined based on Exx were analyzed under FT cycle conditions. In addition, considering the important influence of FT cycles on the Nf and damage evolution characteristics of asphalt mixtures, based on the classical Chaboche damage evolution model, the influence of FT cycle was considered, a fatigue-freeze-thaw damage evolution model that reflects the effects of FT cycling variables and stress levels on asphalt mixtures was constructed. The results indicate that the Exx peak of asphalt mixture shifts forward with increasing FT cycle number. After 20 FT cycles, the Nf of CCRMA decreased by 73.4%, 62.1%, and 75.1%, while that of SBSMA decreased by 76.5%, 58.6%, and 74.6% at stress ratios of 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4, respectively. The fatigue-freeze-thaw damage evolution model predictions were in agreement with experimental results, with the goodness of fit (R2) of all Nf prediction models being greater than 0.9. With the exception of a few outliers, the relative error between the measured and predicted Nf for the two asphalt mixtures was within 15%. This indicates that the model can effectively predict the Nf and damage evolution laws of asphalt mixtures at different stress levels after an arbitrary number of FT cycles. The related research results provide a theoretical basis for predicting the Nf of new roads in cold regions under FT cycles.

Effect of salt erosion on interfacial adhesion of waste tire crumb rubber-modified asphalt mixtures: A molecular dynamics study

In this study, a wetting and migration model was established using the molecular dynamics simulation method. Through in-depth analysis of parameters such as contact angle, mean square displacement, and work of adhesion, the dynamic wetting and migration characteristics of salt solution were explored, and the damage mechanism of waste tire crumb rubber-modified asphalt mixtures under salt erosion was revealed. The results showed that compared with an aqueous solution, the salt solution was more likely to be adsorbed and dispersed on the asphalt surface. This exacerbated its damage. However, the presence of salt ions reduced the wetting effect of the solution on the aggregate surface and reduced the migration rate of the solution at the asphalt-aggregate interface. Significant diffusion of Na+ and Cl- ions occurs during salt solution migration, while SO2- 4 ions mainly accumulate near the aggregate surface. In addition, salt solution migration alters the distribution of asphalt components. This further affects the interface adhesion effect. The inclusion of crumb rubber can effectively reduce the sensitivity of asphalt to salt solutions and enhance its hydrophobicity. Simultaneously, it enhances the adhesion strength and stability of the asphalt. This effectively obstructs the intrusion of water molecules and salt ions.

Identifying the Suitability of Warm Mix Asphalt for Reducing the Production Temperatures of Crumb Rubber–Modified Asphalt Mixtures: Economic and Environmental Perspective

Identifying the Suitability of Warm Mix Asphalt for Reducing the Production Temperatures of Crumb Rubber–Modified Asphalt Mixtures: Economic and Environmental Perspective

Resurface of rubber modified asphalt mixture with stress absorbing membrane interlayer: From laboratory to field application

The increasing concern over tire pollution, exacerbated by the improper disposal of waste tires, serves as the backdrop for this research, which aims to explore the efficacy of incorporating ground tire rubber (GTR) into asphalt mixtures enhanced with a stress-absorbing membrane interlayer (SAMI). In this study, three variations of Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) were evaluated: a conventional mix, a rubber-modified asphalt mixture (RMA), and a trans-polyoctenamer rubber (TOR) modified asphalt mixture in the laboratory. The assessment focused on the high and low-temperature performance of the asphalt mix and binder. Key findings from the laboratory tests indicate that the integration of a SAMI layer and GTR as additives markedly boosts the crack resistance of the asphalt mixture. Despite a reduction in fracture energy across all three HMA types following long-term aging, the GTR-modified HMA maintained superior fracture energy relative to the conventional mix. Initially, the inclusion of GTR adversely affected the mixture's rutting resistance. However, after undergoing long-term aging, both the conventional and GTR-modified HMAs exhibited exceptional rutting and moisture damage resistance. Field noise assessments further demonstrated that GTR-enhanced pavements produced noise levels approximately 2 dB lower than those of standard asphalt pavements. Additionally, pavements lacking a SAMI layer manifested low-severity cracking, with an average cracking frequency occurring every 2 ∼ 6 m, whereas pavements equipped with a SAMI layer exhibited no cracking following two winter seasons. The rubber asphalt overlay may increase the leaching of 6PPD-quinone, but the SAMI layer helps reduce tire wear particle generation by preventing road cracking. Rubber asphalt overlay leaching tests resulted in 6PPD-quinone concentrations lower than currently available toxicity data (LC50 for Coho Salmon, 0.095 ug/L). In conclusion, the utilization of dry-processed rubber asphalt mixes alongside a SAMI layer in pavement construction not only has the potential to extend the service life of pavements but also contributes to the production of quieter road surfaces. This study underscores the environmental and functional benefits of incorporating rubber modifications into asphalt pavements, presenting a viable strategy for mitigating tire pollution through the reuse of waste tires in infrastructure.

Performance evaluation of bio-oil and rubber compound modified asphalt mixture: Lower mixing temperature and carbon emission

Due to the high viscosity of high-content rubber modified asphalt, maintaining a high temperature for a long time is required when preparing rubber modified asphalt mixtures. This problem limits the attainment of ideal conditions in experimental research. Using the bio-oil could reduce the viscosity of rubber modified asphalt and thus reduced the mixing temperature of its mixtures. The objective of the manuscript is to propose production protocol of bio-oil rubber modified asphalt mixture (BRMAM) and evaluate its performance. The rubber (20 % mass ratio of modified asphalt) and bio-oil (5 % and 10 % mass ratio of modified asphalt) were used to prepare two types of the BRMAM under lower mixing temperature. The high-temperature stability, low-temperature anti-cracking, water stability and other mechanical performance were appraised. Based on the test results, the total deformation of the BRMAM decreased by 39.4 %, the Marshall modulus increased by 45.5 % compared to the neat asphalt mixture, and their fracture energy increased by 36.27 %. Under the condition of high stress ratio, the fatigue life of modified asphalt mixture rose by 32.4 %. The addition of crumb rubber could enhance the elastic recovery of BRMAM. The synergism of the bio-oil and crumb rubber could lower the mixing temperature without sacrificing the performance. This study provides a basis for BRMAM in the laboratory and field applications or similar scenarios. The study could contribute to the recycling of renewable resources and the reduction of carbon emission.

Towards Sustainable Road Pavements: Sound Absorption in Rubber-Modified Asphalt Mixtures

In the last decade, various asphalt paving materials have undergone investigation for sound attenuation purposes. This research aims to delve into the innovative design of sustainable road pavements by examining sound absorption in rubber-modified asphalt mixtures. More specifically, the impact of alternative sustainable materials on the sound absorption of asphalt mixtures across different temperatures, precisely crumb rubber (CR) derived from recycling of end-of-life tires, was investigated. The acoustic coefficient and its Gaussian fit parameters (Peak, BandWidth, and Area Under the Curve) were evaluated. Five different types of asphalt mixtures were studied, encompassing dense, discontinuous, and open mixtures with 0%, 0.75%, and 1.50% CR incorporated through the dry process (DP). The results of sound absorption indicated a slight influence of crumb rubber at temperatures ranging from 10 °C to 60 °C, particularly in mixtures with high void content. On the other hand, as expected, the void content proved to be highly correlated with sound absorption. These findings facilitated the establishment of predictive models that correlate acoustic absorption spectra with the characteristics of asphalt mixtures. As a result, these models will be valuable in the design of the next generation of sound-absorbing pavements.

Experimental Study on Dynamic Modulus of High Content Rubber Asphalt Mixture

Currently, the research on the mechanical properties of rubber-modified asphalt mixtures primarily focuses on small-scale investigations, with insufficient exploration into the performance of rubber particles and their relationship with the mechanism and properties of modified asphalt mixtures. Limited studies have been conducted on large-scale rubber modification in asphalt mixtures. Due to frequent use and subsequent high damage to existing asphalt pavements, incorporating rubber-modified asphalt mixtures can partially alleviate premature deterioration. Dynamic modulus tests were conducted using MTS equipment under unconfined conditions to investigate the viscoelastic behavior of rubber-modified asphalt mixtures with high rubber content and elucidate the influence of rubber particle content on the elastic deformation and recovery capability. The dynamic mechanical properties of the mixtures were determined at different loading rates, temperatures, and types of rubber-modified asphalt mixtures. Based on the test data, variations in the dynamic modulus, phase angle, storage modulus, loss modulus, loss factor, and rut factor of the rubber-modified asphalt mixtures under different loading frequencies, temperatures, and types were analyzed. The results demonstrate the pronounced viscoelastic behavior of rubber-modified asphalt mixtures. The mixtures exhibit enhanced elasticity at low temperatures and high frequencies, while their viscosity becomes more prominent at high temperatures and low frequencies. Under constant test temperatures, an increase in load loading frequency leads to a higher dynamic modulus; conversely, a decrease in dynamic modulus is observed with increasing test temperatures. The dynamic modulus of ARHM-25 at a frequency of 10 Hz is found to be 12.99 times higher at 15 °C compared to that at 60 °C, while at 30 °C, the dynamic modulus at 25 Hz is observed to be 2.72 times greater than that at 0.1 Hz. Furthermore, the rutting resistance factors of the asphalt mixtures increase with loading frequency but decrease with temperature. The rutting factor for ARHM-13 at a frequency of 10 Hz is found to be 22.98 times higher at 15 °C compared to that at 60 °C, while at a temperature of 30 °C, the rutting factor for this material is observed to be 3.09 times greater at a frequency of 25 Hz than at 0.1 Hz. These findings suggest that rutting is most likely when vehicles drive at low speeds in hot weather conditions.

High Temperature Performance of Rubber-Modified Asphalt Mixtures in Water-Light-Heat Coupled Environment

Asphalt pavement has been repeatedly subjected to vehicle loads during service. The probability and risk of water damage and asphalt deterioration of asphalt pavements is relatively higher in high temperature and rainy areas such as the Guangxi region of China. In this paper, the changes in rubbermodified asphalt and its mixtures under high temperature, water cycling, and ultraviolet light have been investigated. The coupled water-light-heat effects on asphalt pavements were simulated by developing a freeze-thaw cycle test protocol and a UV environment simulator. The high temperature performance of asphalt and asphalt mixtures before and after aging was compared and statistically analyzed by indoor tests of needle penetration, ductility, softening point, rutting factor and dynamic stability. Under water-light-heat coupling, rubberized asphalt showed a deeper degree of aging, accelerated conversion of asphalt to a highly elastic material, and an increased tendency to reduce flow capacity. The results showed decreasing dynamic stability of rubberized asphalt mixtures with decreasing needle penetration and ductility, increasing softening point, increasing rutting factor and decreasing phase angle. The effect of UV light on asphalt needle penetration was more significant, while the number of freeze-thaw cycles had a more pronounced effect on softening point.

Mechanical performance of cup lump rubber modified asphalt mixtures incorporating polyphosphoric acid

Natural rubber (NR) producing countries face rubber production and price fluctuations. NR production's high cost and low market price have produced an extensive demand for alternative applications of NR. This paper examined the influence of cup lump rubber (CLR) and polyphosphoric acid (PPA) on the mechanical performance of asphalt mixtures. The five modified blends were selected for the hot mix asphalt (HMA) performance analysis. The results revealed that the CLR increasing content in the bitumen ultimately increases the optimum bitumen content (OBC) for the asphalt mixture. There is a significant difference in the base mixture OBC (5.19 %) compared to the cup lump rubber-modified bitumens (CLRMBs). The CLRMB6 + 0.5PPA asphalt mixture OBC was 5.32 %, which is higher among all the mixtures. The rutting findings demonstrated that the control mixture exhibited the highest strain of 1.71 %, followed by CLRMB6 with 1.43 %, CLRMB3 + 0.5PPA with 1.1 %, CLRMB9 with 0.7 %, and CLRMB6 + 0.5PPA with the lowest strain of 0.47 %. The creep stiffness modulus of all mixtures met the minimum requirement of ≥75 MPa. The results implied that the CLR and the PPA displayed incredible potential to improve the asphalt mixture's resilient modulus (MR). The CLRMB9 resilient modulus increased significantly by 22 % compared to the control mixture. The CLRMB6 + 0.5PPA has a higher MR of 5210 MPa than the other modified mixtures and the control mixture with 3521 Ma. Thus, the study's findings suggest that the CLR, in conjunction with the 0.5PPA exhibits a decisive effect on the asphalt mixture performance and could be beneficial as a sustainable material in the pavement industry.

Evaluation of Warm Mix Crumb Rubber Modified Asphalt Mixture (WCRMA) on resisting permanent deformation

Crumb rubber (CR) is generated from the recycling of used or discarded car tires and has long been utilized in the paving industry. Crumb rubber can be used in asphalt mixes in two ways: dry process and wet process. However, compared to standard combinations, crumb rubber modified asphalt (CRMA) requires much higher mixing and compaction temperatures. As a potential substitute, using warm mix asphalt (WMA) technology significantly lower hot-mix asphalt (HMA) production and placement temperatures through viscosity reduction. In accordance, the objectives of the study are to produce warm mix crumb rubberized asphalt mixtures (WCRMA) using a dry process and to evaluate WCRMA’s performance in terms of rutting resistance. WCRMA is produced by adding 1, 3, and 5% Sasobit® of the total weight of the binder. The rutting performance of WCRMA was evaluated by Dynamic Creep test. The result showed that the asphalt mixes with the largest percentages of Sasobit® (5%) showed the lowest lowest accumulated strain and permanent deformation. The modified asphalt mixture performed better and had greater rutting resistance due to the replacement of fine aggregate with crumb rubber and the addition of Sasobit® compared to control sample.

Reconstruction of Asphalt Pavements with Crumb Rubber Modified Asphalt Mixture in Cold Region: Material Characterization, Construction, and Performance

Dry-processed rubberized asphalt mixture has recently attracted a lot of attention as an alternative to conventional asphalt mixtures. Dry-processed rubberized asphalt pavement has improved the overall performance characteristics compared to the conventional asphalt road. The objective of this research is to demonstrate the reconstruction of rubberized asphalt pavement and evaluate the pavement performance of dry-processed rubberized asphalt mixture based on laboratory and field tests. The noise mitigation effect of dry-processed rubberized asphalt pavement was evaluated at the field construction sites. A prediction of pavement distresses and long-term performance was also conducted using mechanistic-empirical pavement design. In terms of experimental evaluation, the dynamic modulus was estimated using materials test system (MTS) equipment, the low-temperature crack resistance was characterized by the fracture energy from the indirect tensile strength test (IDT), and the asphalt aging was assessed with the rolling thin-film oven (RTFO) test and the pressure aging vessel (PAV) test. The rheology properties of asphalt were estimated by a dynamic shear rheometer (DSR). Based on the test results: (1) The dry-processed rubberized asphalt mixture presented better resistance to cracking, as the fracture energy was enhanced by 29-50% compared to that of conventional hot mix asphalt (HMA); and (2) the high-temperature anti-rutting performance of the rubberized pavement increased. The dynamic modulus increased up to 19%. The findings of the noise test showed that at different vehicle speeds, the rubberized asphalt pavement greatly reduced the noise level by 2-3 dB. The pavement M-E (mechanistic-empirical) design-predicted distress illustrated that the rubberized asphalt pavement could reduce the IRI, rutting, and bottom-up fatigue-cracking distress based on a comparison of prediction results. To sum up, the dry-processed rubber-modified asphalt pavement has better pavement performance compared to the conventional asphalt pavement.

Moisture Damage Characterization of Rubber-Modified Asphalt Mixture Containing Waste Steel Slag under Multiple Freeze–Thaw Cycles

Recycling waste materials has become popular in the pavement industry because of its potential for significant environmental benefits, conservation of natural resources, and sustainability. This study investigated the feasibility of simultaneously recycling waste steel slag and tire rubber in bituminous pavements and analyze the moisture susceptibility of asphalt mixtures made of these solid wastes. The physical and chemical characteristics of the aggregates and the adhesive behavior of the aggregate–bitumen system were explored to determine their impact on moisture sensitivity. Accordingly, two different methods, freeze–thaw splitting test and fracture energy tests, were employed to assess the moisture stability of mixes in a multiple freeze–thaw environment. The microstructure of the interface between the aggregate and bitumen was investigated, and the long-term moisture damage process of the mixes was clarified and verified. The results indicate that the natural hyperalkalinity and porous structure of the steel slag have a favorable effect on the adhesion performance. Cohesive failure was found to be the primary mode of failure of loose asphalt mixtures in a multiple freeze–thaw environment. We tentatively propose that the adhesion energy loss is a secondary failure mode of the loose asphalt mixtures. The addition of 100% steel slag and asphalt rubber had the greatest impact on improving the long-term moisture resistance of the asphalt mixtures. The present work is beneficial for the practical application of waste tire rubber and steel slag in highway engineering.

The Impact of Crumb-Rubber on the Mechanical Characteristics of Modified Asphalt Mixture

By following up on the effect of rubber, which has recently been widely used as a direct additive to the asphalt binder or to the concrete mix as a percentage of the weight of the aggregate. The success of the effect of this type of admixture on improving the modified asphalt binder in addition to the modified concrete mix has been investigated. As it was noted the importance of following the asphalt properties due to the increasing use of crumb rubber modifiers in asphalt mixtures, there is a more position to check their rheological and physical properties comprehensively. In general, the performance of the asphalt rubber binder is affected by the rubber crumb content and mixing conditions. This research used 40/50 asphalt grade and Crumb Rubber additives with contents (5, 10, 15, and 20%). The main objectives of this study were to investigate the physical and rheological properties of rubber-modified asphalt binder and mixture. These purposes were achieved by testing HMA samples using the Marshall test approach to determine (Marshall stability and flow and void properties) and measuring the retained Marshall stability and DSR and Viscosity test. Sample testing showed that when recycled rubber was used as modifiers for asphalt mixes, the mixture became more stable, had a higher bulk specific gravity, and had less flow value and air voids. This infers that using recycled rubber can enhance the rutting resistance of bituminous mix.

Sustainable crumb rubber modified asphalt mixtures based on low-temperature crack propagation characteristics using the response surface methodology

Fracture regime of asphalt concrete is of utmost importance in the sustainable design of optimized mixtures against low-temperature cracking. The energy dissipated in blunting the crack tip, stable crack growth, as well as post-peak resistance of the mixtures to the propagating crack comprise the overall fracture performance of the mixtures. In this research, employing the fracture resistance curve (R-curve) concept, three energy parameters: cohesive energy, fracture energy, and energy rate, are extracted to quantify the crack propagation regime of the mixtures incorporating ground recycled waste tire. A temperature range of 0 °C to −20 °C with 0 %, 10 %, and 20 % crumb rubber contents (CRC) were considered and the experiments were carried out in Single Edge notched Beam (SE(B)) fracture testing protocol. An environmental index comprising CO2 and CH4 emissions, as well as the energy consumption, was developed and the production cost of AC samples were also determined. A design of experiments based on the Central Composite Design (CCD) is applied. The Response Surface Methodology (RSM) is used to develop the best model between the fracture response, environmental factor, cost, and the input mixture properties. Multi-objective optimization scenarios were assessed by the RSM and a 4.74 % binder content with 19.5 % crumb rubber incorporation was resulted as the optimal mix design for maximum fracture response and minimized cost and environmental concerns in low temperatures. The environmental effects and costs were by average reduced by 15 % and 1 %, respectively and fracture responses have been improved compared to the reference optimum mix design (CRC = 0).

Experimental Investigation of the Fracture Properties for Crumb Rubber Modified (CRM) Asphalt Mixtures

Cracks that develop daily and seasonally due to the environmental or mechanical effects caused by axle loads, propagate over time and become an important type of distress in asphalt layers. This type of distress can significantly increase the maintenance and rehabilitation costs of pavements. The use of rubber powder or fine granules in certain proportions to the bitumen content can extend the life of the pavements and reduce the environmental problems caused by waste tire disposal. In this study, the fracture behavior of normal and rubber-modified asphalt mixtures was investigated in accordance with AASHTO TP105 by adding waste tire granules at the ratio of 20% by weight of bitumen to hot mix asphalt. It has been determined that when the waste tire powders are added to the hot mix asphalt by replacing 20% of the bitumen weight, coatings with 37% more elastic ability could be made on sustainable pavements. Waste tire powder-mixes performed 118% higher in maximum load and 97% higher in fracture toughness compared to control-mixes. It has been shown that low temperature performance could be improved when waste tire powder-added bitumen processed by dry method is mixed to hot mix asphalt up to 20%.

Analysis on the road performance of graphene composite rubber asphalt and its mixture

In this paper, it analyzed the road performance of graphene composite rubber asphalt binder and its mixture by comparing with that of AH-70# and SBS modified asphalt, based on rheological test and routine test, in combination with a highway example in the Dunhuang area, in China. The results that it compared with AH-70# and SBS asphalt, the graphene composite rubber modified asphalt’s penetration decreased by 28% and 20.6%, the ductility decreased by 32.5% and 22.9%, and softening point increased by 47.9% and 12.3%, the rutting factor increased by 186.75% and 9.95%, the stiffness modulus decreased by 27.62% and 7.74%, and the creep rate increased by 9.68% and 3.01%. The optimum asphalt content of the SMA mixture with graphene composite rubber modified asphalt was 0.2～0.5% higher than that of AH-70# and SBS asphalt mixtures. Under the same test conditions, the graphene composite rubber modified asphalt mixture’s Marshall stability increased by 49.4% and 14.8% compared with AH-70# matrix and SBS asphalt mixtures. The graphene composite rubber modified asphalt mixture had better flexural strength and dynamic stability than AH-70# and SBS asphalt mixtures, and the asphalt mixture’s the failure strain and dynamic stability were increased by 9.87%, 4.9% and 78.1%, 30.5% respectively, which can provide a reference for in-depth understanding of the performance of graphene composite rubber modified asphalt mixture and its application in engineering.

Mechanical properties of coarse asphalt Mixture-Paved trackbed under High-Speed moving train loads

The long-term stability of the substructure is a critical guarantee for the safety and ride comfort of high-speed railway (HSR) operations. The asphalt mixture-paved trackbed (APT) can not only play a favorable role in preventing and draining water on the top of the subgrade but also be beneficial to the gradual change of vertical stiffness between layers. This paper determines a coarse but dense-graded asphalt mixture suitable for the APT and numerically analyzes the mechanical properties of APT under high-speed moving train loads. The results indicate that the SBS-modified asphalt mixture (SBS-25) with the optimum asphalt content (OAC) of 4.2 % is more appropriate than the crumb rubber-modified asphalt mixture (CRMA-25) for the APT. The dynamic stress in the subgrade of APT is significantly determined by the conditions of the AC layer. Meanwhile, the vibration attenuation of APT is directly related to temperature change. Compared with the traditional ballastless track, the vibration acceleration of APT with trackbed thickness of 300 mm reduces by 20.1 % at 20 ℃ while only reducing by 1.7 % at 40℃. Moreover, the greater the structural stiffness of the APT, the stronger the control on dynamic deformation of each layer in the subgrade, and the influence on the formation is weaker than that on the bottom layer of the subgrade. The findings hopefully contribute to the APT substructure design; however, further verification of real engineering still needs to be conducted by field or full-scale tests.

Comparison of Rubber Asphalt with Polymer Asphalt under Long-Term Aging Conditions in Michigan

The objective of this study is to compare the long-term aging performance of dry-processed rubber-modified asphalt mixture with styrene–butadiene–styrene polymer-modified asphalt mixture on heavy traffic volume roads in the wet-freeze environment of Michigan. The rutting performance was evaluated using the Hamburg wheel track device. The disc-shaped compact tension test was used to assess the fracture energy. The dynamic modulus experiment was used to estimate the load and displacement relationship. The asphalt binder properties were evaluated using multiple stress creep recovery and the linear amplitude sweep test. The pavement distresses were evaluated using the pavement mechanistic–empirical design. All three types of asphalt mixture show excellent rutting resistance after long-term aging conditions, while the fracture energy of the rubber mix is 17.1% to 30.5% higher than that of the control mix and 6.8% to 9.1% higher than that of the polymer mix. The rubber and polymer incorporated with the asphalt binder improved the resistance to permanent deformation and improved the fatigue life of the asphalt binder. In summary, the rubberized asphalt technology using the dry process shows better cracking resistance and fatigue life. Therefore, rubberized asphalt using the dry process will exhibit adequate performance when used for high-volume roads in the wet-freeze environment of Michigan.

Effect of Freeze–Thaw cycles on the pavement performance of SBS modified and composite crumb rubber modified asphalt mixtures

The effect of freeze–thaw cycles on the pavement performance of SBS modified asphalt mixture (SBSMA) and SBS/crumb rubber composite modified asphalt mixture (CCRMA) was studied using a triaxial repeated creep test, semicircular bending fatigue test based on digital image correlation (DIC), and thermal stress restrained specimen test. The mechanical model of the residual strain (RS) of the asphalt mixtures is established, and the residual viscous flow strain (εRvf,N) and residual viscoelastic strain (εRve,N) are separated. Based on the horizontal strain (Exx) of DIC, a new mesofatigue damage variable (D) is proposed. According to the characteristic curve of D, the antifatigue damage parameter (AFDP) is established and the correlation between AFDP and fatigue life (Nf) is analyzed. Simultaneously, a calculation model of the relaxation temperature stress (σRts(T)) of the asphalt mixture at different cooling rates (v) is established based on the finite element method. Results showed that the growth rates of RS, εRvf,N, and D of both asphalt mixtures accelerate, AFDP decreases, and freeze–break temperature (TD) rises with increasing freeze–thaw cycles. However, the growth rates of RS, εRvf,N, and D of CCRMA are always slower than SBSMA, the AFDP is larger than SBSMA, TD is lower than SBSMA, εRve,N is a fixed value under specific conditions, and a good correlation exists between the AFDP and Nf. The pavement performance of the asphalt mixtures worsens after the freeze–thaw cycles, and the influence of a salt freeze–thaw cycles is greater than that of a water freeze–thaw cycles. Moreover, CCRMA has better high-temperature deformation resistance, fatigue damage resistance, and low-temperature cracking resistance than SBSMA. The conversion point temperature (TZ) increases with the acceleration of v, and the σRts(T) calculation model can accurately reflect the σRts(T) of the asphalt mixture at different v.

Research on fatigue performance of composite crumb rubber modified asphalt mixture under freeze thaw cycles

To study the effect of freeze thaw cycles on the fatigue damage characteristics of composite crumb rubber modified asphalt mixture (CCRMA), the semicircle bending fatigue test and the digital speckle correlation method (DSCM) were combined and the fatigue damage characteristics of CCRMA and styrene–butadienestyrene-modified asphalt mixture (SBSMA) under freeze thaw cycles were analyzed. The plateau valve (PV) of the stiffness modulus degradation ratio curve of the asphalt mixture is proposed as the analysis index to evaluate the macroscopic fatigue damage evolution of the asphalt mixture. The horizontal strain density (DE value) obtained through analyzing the horizontal strain characteristic cloud map of the main crack zone is identified as an index to evaluate the mesoscopic fatigue damage evolution of the asphalt mixture. The results show that after a freeze thaw cycle, the PV increases, DE decreases, fatigue damage rate accelerates, and fatigue resistance decreases. CCRMA has better freeze thaw resistance and fatigue resistance than SBSMA. The fatigue damage model established has high fitting accuracy and can effectively reflect the fatigue damage evolution degree of an asphalt mixture. A correlation analysis of PV and DE values reveals that there is a good linear correlation between them, indicating that applying the DSCM method to semicircle bending fatigue tests for studying the fatigue damage characteristics of asphalt mixtures is reliable.