ABSTRACT In this study, a novel epoxy-recycling technology, which produces recycled mixtures using epoxy asphalt as binders, was applied to utilise 100% RAP. However, to date, the fatigue properties of epoxy-recycled asphalt mixtures (ERAM) made of 100% RAP remains unknown. The main objective of this paper is to investigate the fatigue performance of epoxy-recycled binders and mixtures. Thus, the linear amplitude sweep (LAS) tests and repeated semi-circular bending (R-SCB) fatigue tests were conducted to evaluate the fatigue resistance of binders and mixtures, respectively. The binder bond strength (BBS) tests were also performed to investigate their adhesive performance. The results show that the epoxy-recycling technology can recover the fatigue properties of ERAM to similar levels or even far superior to conventional virgin mixtures. Compared to SBS modified asphalt, the bonding strengths of epoxy-recycled binders increase by 92.38%, 110.16%, 133.33%, and 210.76% with increasing epoxy proportions. The fatigue lives between LAS tests for binders and R-SCB tests for mixtures show excellent correlations under power functions, and the fatigue performance enhancement of ERAM can be attributed to greater fatigue resistance of binders and better adhesive properties. The findings will provide evidence-based confidence in epoxy-recycling technology, thereby promoting long-life and sustainable pavement construction.
Read full abstract7-days of FREE Audio papers, translation & more with Prime
7-days of FREE Prime access