Published: 2023-12-30

Investigating the ageing process of polymer modified bitumen using a modified Thin-Film Oven Test in the aspect of recycling purpose

Miftah Farid , Jan Król

Abstract

Polymer Modified Bitumen (PMB) is a widely used material for road construction. Commonly, PMBs are produced by mixing bitumen with various types of Styrene- Butadiene–Styrene (SBS) copolymers and, if necessary, with another additive such as a cross-linking agent to improve the material’s performance. The ageing process of PMBs is more complex than unmodified bitumen due to molecular interactions between the bitumen and the polymer. Previous studies suggest that the polymer modifier dominates the chemical degradation of PMBs during short-term ageing, while long-term ageing is dominated by bitumen oxidation. As a result, RAP containing PMB as its binder still contains polymer in its chemical composition, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive understanding of the ageing process of PMBs. In current practice, RAP is heated before being mixed with virgin materials to allow reactivation of its aged binder. This study proposes a modified Thin-Film Oven Test (TFOT) as an ageing simulation method, with variations in time and temperature to simulate ageing during the RAP mixing process. The bitumen oxidation phenomenon mostly dominates the ageing process. From quantitative indices analysis, under short duration and lower temperature conditions, the polymer degradation helps to resist ageing shortly. Moreover, the DSR test shows that ageing caused the PMB to increase in complex modulus while decreasing in phase angle, indicating hardening and shifting toward more elastic behaviour. The most prominent effect of ageing can be observed at lower test temperature for phase angle and higher test temperature for complex modulus. Generally, the ageing conditions’ temperature has a more significant role in dictating the ageing effect on PMB than the duration.

Keywords:

polymer modified bitumen, recycling, RAP, ageing, FTIR.

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Farid, M., & Król, J. (2023). Investigating the ageing process of polymer modified bitumen using a modified Thin-Film Oven Test in the aspect of recycling purpose. Roads and Bridges - Drogi I Mosty, 22(4), 379–386. https://doi.org/10.7409/rabdim.023.020

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