Elsevier

Construction and Building Materials

Volume 131, 30 January 2017, Pages 503-511
Construction and Building Materials

Modified asphalt mixtures for heavy duty pavement wearing layers

Highlights

Modification of asphalt mixture allows a reasonable solution for heavy duty pavement wearing layer.

Only polymer modified bitumen should be used for asphalt modification.

Bitumen softening point of 80 °C and above should be used for heavy duty pavement wearing layer.

Modified AC mixture complied with fatigue requirements and showed the highest rut resistance.

Abstract

Asphalt pavements perform in a wide range of temperatures, especially in Eastern European countries, where the daily mean temperature of asphalt layers varies from −18 °C during winter to 47 °C during summer or even higher under more severe climatic conditions. Low temperatures preclude the use of high-stiffness binders because of their high susceptibility to thermal cracking. High temperatures during summer and a heavy static load contribution cause rutting, slippage, and high plastic deformation of heavy duty asphalt pavements. Many research programs on asphalt wearing layers affected by long-lasting high stress have been initiated to address this problem. Our theoretical analysis led to a plan and subsequent detailed laboratory research of modified AC 11 VS and SMA 11 S asphalt mixtures. We analyzed 11 different bitumens and the modification of the asphalt mixture aggregate distribution. The experimental results show extremely good rutting performance of the modified asphalt mixtures.

Keywords

Heavy duty pavement
Rheological characteristics
Permanent deformation
Fatigue
Asphalt wearing layer
Asphalt mixture modification
View full text