Effect of foaming technique and mixing temperature on the rheological characteristics of fine RAP-foamed bitumen mixtures

S�nchez, Diana B.; Airey, Gordon; Caro, Silvia; Grenfell, James

Abstract

This paper evaluates and compares the differences in the rheological characteristics of the fine aggregate matrix (FAM) portion of plant produced Foamed Bitumen Mixtures (FBMs) by means of a mechanical foaming process, and by the incorporation of zeolites in combination with Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) material. This evaluation explores, for the first time, the impact of plant production variations for half-warm, warm and hot processes (i.e. mixing temperatures around 90°C, 120°C and 160°C, respectively) on their rheological response. A fine Virgin-HMA, a fine HMA-RAP – no foaming technique -, and a 100% fine RAP mixture were also produced for comparison purposes. Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) tests were conducted on all evaluated FAM mixtures to determine their linear viscoelastic properties. Results indicate that the rheological response of the fine RAP-FBMs is influenced primarily by the contribution of the RAP binder in the total bitumen blend, and ageing of the fine RAP material, which were a function of the foaming technology and the production temperature of the materials.

Citation

Sánchez, D. B., Airey, G., Caro, S., & Grenfell, J. (2020). Effect of foaming technique and mixing temperature on the rheological characteristics of fine RAP-foamed bitumen mixtures. Road Materials and Pavement Design, 21(8), 2143-2159. https://doi.org/10.1080/14680629.2019.1593228

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 25, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Mar 19, 2019
• Publication Date: 2020
• Deposit Date: Apr 12, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 20, 2020
• Journal: Road Materials and Pavement Design
• Print ISSN: 1468-0629
• Electronic ISSN: 2164-7402
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 21
• Issue: 8
• Pages: 2143-2159
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14680629.2019.1593228
• Keywords: Civil and Structural Engineering
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1793321
• Publisher URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14680629.2019.1593228
• Additional Information: This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Road materials and Pavement Design on 19/03/2019, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/14680629.2019.1593228
• Contract Date: Apr 12, 2019