Warm mix asphalts research, analysis and evaluation

Abstract

With increasing concerns of global warming and increasing exhaustion of greenhouse gases, the asphalt industry is looking for alternatives for hot mix asphalt (HMA). Reasonable solution for that is a use of warm mix asphalt (WMA) technologies which allow to lower the temperatures at which asphalt pavement material is mixed and placed on the road. The advantages of WMA are reduced energy consumption, reduced emissions and improved workability. WMA technologies can be used with regular HMA for easier compaction in extreme weather conditions and longer haul distances. This article presents the overview of different WMA production technologies, advantages and disadvantages of these technologies. It also represents experimental researches which were done in order to develop the optimal amount of chosen additives, their influence to physical mechanical asphalt mix properties and to determine the optimal additive for selected mixture. Water bearing, chemical and organic additives were used for WMA production and temperature of produced asphalt varied from 150 oC to 120 oC.