Experimental Exploration of Influence of Recycled Polymer Components on Rutting Resistance and Fatigue Behavior of Asphalt Mixtures

Zhang, Jizhe; Li, Hongyin; Liu, Peng; Liang, Ming; Jiang, Hongguang; Yao, Zhanyong; Airey, Gordon

Abstract

Rutting and fatigue of asphalt pavements, as two important distresses, are significantly influenced by the properties of binders. This study aimed to improve the resistance of asphalt mixtures to permanent deformation and fatigue using two recycled waste-polymer components in recycled crumb rubber (CR) and polyethylene (PE). The assessed pavement properties of the modified asphalt mixtures were characterized by wheel tracking, uniaxial penetration, and four-point bending (4PB) tests. The wheel tracking test indicated that the integrated modification technique, by functionally incorporating PE and CR, enhanced the dynamic stability of the asphalt mixtures and that PE dosage was a key variable. From the uniaxial penetration test, it was revealed that the shear strength of the asphalt mixtures at high temperature could be improved by the integrated modification method, indicating the method’s potential to reduce the flow rutting of asphalt pavements. Meanwhile, both the CR and PE were shown to increase the cohesive behavior of the asphalt mixtures, with the friction angle value sensitive to PE dosage. The addition of PE reduced the fatigue life of the asphalt mixtures; the CR improved the PE-modified mixtures’ fatigue resistance. The findings from this study will be beneficial in developing sustainable and durable asphalt pavements, tailoring the reuse of different types of polymer wastes in asphalt pavements, and minimizing waste disposal at landfills.

Citation

Zhang, J., Li, H., Liu, P., Liang, M., Jiang, H., Yao, Z., & Airey, G. (2020). Experimental Exploration of Influence of Recycled Polymer Components on Rutting Resistance and Fatigue Behavior of Asphalt Mixtures. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, 32(6), Article 04020129. https://doi.org/10.1061/%28asce%29mt.1943-5533.0003140

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 30, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Mar 24, 2020
• Publication Date: 2020-06
• Deposit Date: May 6, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: May 12, 2020
• Journal: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
• Print ISSN: 0899-1561
• Electronic ISSN: 1943-5533
• Publisher: American Society of Civil Engineers
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 32
• Issue: 6
• Article Number: 04020129
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1061/%28asce%29mt.1943-5533.0003140
• Keywords: General Materials Science; Mechanics of Materials; Civil and Structural Engineering; Building and Construction
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/4385160
• Publisher URL: https://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/%28ASCE%29MT.1943-5533.0003140
• Additional Information: Received: 2019-05-23; Accepted: 2019-09-30; Published: 2020-03-24.; ; © 2020, American Society of Civil Engineers