Investigation of the bonding properties of bitumen using a novel modified binder bond strength test

Zhou, Lu; Airey, Gordon; Zhang, Yuqing; Wang, Chonghui; Zhong, Haobai

Abstract

The binder bond strength (BBS) test can directly quantify the bonding of bitumen-stone joints. However, the index "bond strength" used in this method cannot provide a clear distinction when evaluating the performance of various bitumen, and some results do not correspond to the field feedback related to the bonding performance. This study introduces a novel modified BBS test using the universal testing machine (UTM). The results of the standard BBS test and the BBS-UTM test on six unmodified bitumens and a styrene-butadiene-styrene modified bitumen (SBSMB) are compared, with the Cantabro loss test to validate the accuracy of the BBS-UTM test. The results show that the "bond energy" can be considered the critical indicator for characterising the bonding performance of different binders. The force-displacement curve in the BBS-UTM test is analysed and provides a mechanistic explanation for the mechanical response of bitumen during pull-off. The four-component test is conducted to link the bitumen composition characteristics to its bonding performance. It is found that bitumen adhesion is correlated to the content of asphaltenes. A higher saturates content shows more contribution of tenacity in the total bond energy, and an excessively high ratio of asphaltenes to resins may result in low bond energy.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 24, 2024
• Online Publication Date: May 27, 2024
• Publication Date: Jul 5, 2024
• Deposit Date: Jun 10, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 12, 2024
• Journal: Construction and Building Materials
• Print ISSN: 0950-0618
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 434
• Article Number: 136784
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2024.136784
• Keywords: Bonding properties, Adhesion, Tenacity, Binder bond strength tests
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/35445291
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0950061824019263?via%3Dihub