Analysis and application of relationships between low-temperature rheological performance parameters of asphalt binders

The paper explored the physical and statistical relationships between different low-temperature performance parameters of asphalt binders. First of all, a physical equation between the creep stiffness S(t) and creep rate m(t) at any time t was established through mathematical deduction, the geometric and physical meaning of the equation was explained, and then a method considering S and m-value (which are creep stiffness and creep rate at t = 60 s, respectively) synthetically to choose binders with better low-temperature performances was put forward on the base of the equation. Secondly, based on the bending beam rheometer (BBR) test results of rubberized warm asphalt studied, the paper verified the physical relationship, and further showed how to select a type of asphalt binder according to the S and m-value. Besides, the statistical relationships between low-temperature performance parameters and other parameters were investigated, and the analysis results show that there exist a good linear correlation between m-value and relaxation time, m-value and dissipation energy ratio, relaxation time and dissipation energy ratio, dissipation energy and m/S, and the m/S and ratio of dissipated energy to the 0.5 power of storage energy, respectively.     

Rheology of warm mix asphalt binders with aged binders

This study addresses the rheological investigation of properties of warm mix asphalt (WMA) binders containing long-term aged binders. The recycled binders with the additives were produced using two (i.e., zeolite Aspha-min® and wax Sasobit®) of the available warm asphalt processes. The main rheological factors selected in this study were relationships between loading and response as a function of time, temperature and frequency using a Bohlin Dynamic Shear Rheometer II. The results indicated that the addition of Sasobit® into recycled binders played an important role in determination of the binder properties evaluated in this study. The use of lower performance grade (PG) as a virgin binder (PG 58-28 in this study) was critical on offsetting the change of rheological binder properties due to the warm additives and the aged binders.     

Nanoclay-modified asphalt materials: Preparation and characterization

The objective of this study is to review existing literature in the area of nano-modification of asphalt and proceed to apply nano-materials to asphalt to improve the performance. This study integrates literature review, preparation, and characterization of nano-modified asphalt materials. In the experimental testing montmorillonite, nanoclay at 2% and 4% by weight of asphalt was blended in asphalt binder at a high temperature to exfoliate the nanoclay within the asphalt. The asphalt binder was then characterized using the Superpave? rotational viscosity, dynamic shear modulus, and direct tension test. The rotational viscosity results indicate that the addition of the two types of nanoclay, Nanoclay A and Nanoclay B, increased the rotational viscosity by an average of 41% and 112%, respectively, across test temperatures 80, 100, 130, 135, 150 and 175 °C. It was found that the dynamic shear complex modulus (G*) value increases significantly across a range of testing temperatures (from 13 to 70 °C) and loading frequencies (0.01–25 Hz). With 2% Nanoclay A reinforcement in the asphalt binder, the complex shear moduli generally increased by 66% while the 4% Nanoclay A reinforcement in the asphalt binder generally increased the shear complex moduli by 125%. The 2% and 4% Nanoclay B increased the shear complex moduli by 184% and 196%, respectively. In terms of direct tension strength, the use of Nanoclay A and Nanoclay B reduced the strain failure rate of the original binder while the secant or direct tension moduli showed increase with the addition of the nanoclays. In furtherance of this research, nanoclay-modified asphalt is being tested at percentages higher than 4% to underscore the fact that nanoclays may have the potential to reduce rutting and cracking.     

Characterization of warm mix asphalt binders containing artificially long-term aged binders

Reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) comprises one of the largest recycled materials, and warm mix asphalt (WMA) technologies become more commonly used due to their promising advantages in the United States and Europe. This paper addresses the laboratory investigation of performance properties of WMA binders containing aged binders. The recycled binders with the additives were produced using two (i.e., zeolite Aspha-min^® and wax Sasobit^®) of the available warm asphalt processes. The recycled WMA binders were artificially short-term and then long-term aged through the rolling thin film oven (RTFO) and pressure aging vessel (PAV) procedures. Superpave binder tests were carried out on the binders through the rotational viscometer, the dynamic shear rheometer (DSR), and the bending beam rheometer (BBR). In general, the results of this study indicated that (1) the additives and aged binders played an important role in determination of the binder properties; (2) the use of lower PG grade as a virgin binder (PG 58-28 in this study) was critical on offsetting the increase of binder stiffness caused by the addition of WMA additives and aged binders; and (3) even at the low recycling percentage of 15%, the lower PG grade was needed to get the results meeting current Superpave binder requirements.     

Laboratory evaluation of antioxidants for asphalt binders

A laboratory study was carried to investigate whether certain antioxidants could be used to reduce age-hardening in asphalt binders. Several additives including: Vitamin E, Irganox 1010, Irgafos P-EPQ, carbon black, hydrated lime, and DLTDP/furfural, were evaluated. The modified asphalt binders were subjected to two accelerated oxidative aging regimes in the laboratory. Short-term oxidative aging of the binders was simulated using a rolling thin film oven while long-term aging was performed using a pressure aging vessel. The effects of aging on the binders were evaluated based on changes in rheological properties of asphalt binders undergoing oxidative aging. Binders modified with a combination of furfural and DLTDP was found to posses the lowest aging index. The antioxidant-treated binders exhibited improved performance at both high and low pavement temperatures.     

Interaction effects of crumb rubber modified asphalt binders

The application of crumb rubber in asphalt mixtures is intended to improve the binder properties by reducing the binder’s inherent temperature susceptibility. This research investigated the interaction effects of CRM binders as a function of various blending treatments in the laboratory. For this study, CRM binders were produced using seven blending times (5, 30, 60, 90, 120, 240, and 480 min), three blending temperatures (177, 200, and 223 °C), and four rubber contents (5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% by weight of asphalt binder). The results from this study showed that (1) The interaction time and interaction temperature for CRM binders were observed to have significant effect on the binder properties; (2) The longer time and higher temperature for interaction of CRM binders resulted in an increase in the high failure temperature and the viscosity. This is thought to be due to the increase in the rubber mass through binder absorption. However, this study found that the control binder of PG 64-22 had little change of the binder properties as a function of interaction conditions; (3) The CRM percentage influence is statistically significant on the viscosity and G^*/sin δ values. Also, the asphalt binder with higher CRM percentage showed a higher large molecular size (LMS) value, and the increase in CRM percentage is considered to result in the additional loss of the low molecular weight in the asphalt binder to the CRM.     

High temperature properties of wax modified binders and asphalt mixtures

The influence of adding two commercial waxes (FT-paraffin and polyethylene wax) to binders of penetration grades 50/70 and 160/220 were investigated for high temperature performance of binders and asphalt concrete mixtures. Binder properties were determined by conventional test methods, dynamic mechanical analysis and bending beam rheometer testing. The high temperature properties of asphalt concrete were investigated using the French rutting tester.The addition of FT-paraffin and polyethylene wax increased the rutting resistance of mixtures for both types of binder. The FT-paraffin modified asphalt mixtures showed the best rutting resistance.Adding polyethylene wax showed the highest stiffening effect in terms of rutting factor by DMA for the binders. However, this could not be verified in asphalt mixture testing. Adding FT-paraffin improved the rutting resistance of asphalt mixtures containing low or high penetration binder, but for the mixture containing high penetration binder the specification limit was exceeded.     

Modelling the linear viscoelastic rheological properties of bituminous binders

An extensive literature review on the modelling of the linear viscoelastic (LVE) rheological properties of bitumen over the last six decades is presented in this paper. The use of reliable models can, in general, be considered as a valuable alternative tool for estimating the LVE rheological properties of bitumen. These properties are normally presented in terms of complex modulus and phase angle master curves at a particular reference temperature. The review in this paper consists of three nonlinear multivariable models, 13 empirical algebraic equations and four mechanical element approaches. The details as well as the advantages and disadvantages of the models are discussed. In general, all the models are able to predict the LVE rheological properties of unmodified bitumen as well as follow the time–temperature superposition principle (TTSP). However, the observations suggest a lack of agreement between predicted and experimental LVE rheological properties for materials that contain a phase transition, such as found for highly crystalline bitumen, structured bitumen with high asphaltenes content and highly modified bitumen.     

Determination of zero shear viscosity of warm asphalt binders

With the increasing awareness of the warm asphalt technology, it is imperative to study the properties of the binders containing the warm asphalt additives thoroughly, especially since not much research has been conducted on warm asphalt binder properties to date. Also, in the recent years, researchers have observed that the SHRP rutting parameter G¹/sin δ is not very effective in predicting the rutting performance of binders, especially in case of modified binders. Zero shear viscosity (ZSV) has been evaluated to determine its effectiveness in predicting the rutting behavior of asphalt binders. Thus, in this paper, the ZSV of five asphalt binders with and without the warm asphalt additives, Asphamin^® and Sasobit^®, were calculated using the different models and test methods available in literature. From the test results, it was observed that the addition of the warm asphalt additives increased the ZSV of all the five binders used in this study. It was also observed that the different test methods gave different ZSV values, and that the selection of the test methods and the testing parameters are crucial parameters.     

碳纳米管增韧PHBV/TPU复合材料的研究

为提高PHBV与TPU两相之间的相互作用力,改善复合材料的力学性能及热稳定性,采用熔融共混法制备了PHBV/TPU/CNTs复合材料。用扫描电镜、X射线衍射仪、差示扫描量热计、热重分析仪和万能试验机分析了材料的表面形貌、晶体结构、热学性能以及力学性能。研究表明:添加碳纳米管(CNTs)后PHBV与TPU两相界面未产生分离,两相之间的作用力有所提高;碳纳米管的加入促进了PHBV的结晶且使其由熔融双峰变为熔融单峰。此外,PHBV/TPU/CNTs复合材料的力学性能及热稳定性也有了显著提高。相比纯PHBV,复合材料的初始降解温度提高15℃,P/30T/3CNTs复合材料的断裂伸长率提高1 800%左右。     

含有金纳米粒子的复合纳米纤维的制备和表征

以氯金酸(HAu Cl4)为原料,柠檬酸钠(C6H5Na3O7·4H2O)为还原剂,聚乙烯吡咯烷酮(PVP)为保护剂,乙醇为溶剂制备出含有金纳米粒子的溶胶溶液;采用高压静电纺丝技术制备了含有金纳米粒子的聚乙烯吡咯烷酮复合纳米纤维。通过紫外光谱研究了不同含量的金纳米粒子对纤维吸光度的影响;通过扫描电子显微镜和透射电子显微镜考察了含有金纳米粒子的聚乙烯吡咯烷酮复合纳米纤维的形貌。研究表明,随着金纳米粒子在纺丝溶液含量的增大,金纳米颗粒的特征吸收峰越来越明显,且有红移趋势;随着金纳米颗粒的增多,纤维逐渐变细,浓度过高时则不能生成纤维。     

High temperature properties of rubberized binders containing warm asphalt additives

Several studies have been conducted evaluating the properties of warm mix asphalt (WMA), and it is observed that warm asphalt additives work in different ways to either reduce the viscosity of the binder or to allow better workability of the mix at lower temperatures. In terms of rubberized asphalt mixtures, they are compacted at a higher temperature than conventional mixtures, based on the field experience. If the technologies of warm mix asphalt are incorporated, it is expected to reduce the mixing and compaction temperatures of rubberized asphalt mixtures to those of conventional mixtures. This paper presents the high temperature properties of rubberized binders containing warm asphalt additives. Rubberized binders were produced at 10% by binder weight using five binder sources, and the binders with the additives were produced using two (i.e. Aspha-min^® and Sasobit^®) of the available processes and artificially short-term aged through the rolling thin film oven (RTFO) method. Tests were conducted on the binders using the rotational viscometer and the Dynamic Shear Rheometer. The results indicated that the viscosity properties of rubberized binders can be changed significantly through the use of warm asphalt additives. Also, the addition of the additives was found to improve rutting resistance of the rubberized binders.     

纤维水镁石增强硅酸钙板的研究

研究了以纤维水镁石增强的硅酸钙板的配料方案、生产工艺等。结果表明，采用无垫板流浆工艺及合适的工艺参数，可以制得性能符合ZBQ3205—84，不燃性达到GB5464《建筑材料不燃性试验方法》各项要求的无石棉硅酸钙板。并且可以利用粉煤灰、电石渣等工业废渣，产品环境相容性高。     

Aging analysis of rubberized asphalt binders and mixes using gel permeation chromatography

This study was initiated to investigate the aging characteristics of binders due to the reaction with the crumb rubber. For this laboratory study, the crumb rubber modified (CRM) and control binders were aged using an oven aging method. Also, asphalt mixtures with CRM or control binders were made and subjected to short-term and long-term aging treatments. The properties of these aged binders were evaluated using gel permeation chromatography (GPC) test procedures. The results from this study showed that: (1) the higher CRM percentage resulted in the higher large molecular size (LMS) value of asphalt binder under the binder aging conditions, and the rate of increase in the LMS value was found to have a relation to the CRM percentage. The asphalt binders with higher CRM percentages (15% and 20%) had a trend the LMS values decrease after a certain level. This finding is thought to be related to the required time for the rubber to be fully digested; (2) after subjecting to the long-term oven aging, the asphalt mixtures with the control and CRM modified binders were found to have statistically insignificant differences in aging level, measured using the LMS values. The very thin film thickness of binder in asphalt mixture and the aging temperature of 100 °C insufficient to enable a reaction were considered to be the main reasons that no differences were observed from the standpoint of the aging effect.     

沥青混合料流变特性分析与研究

在简要分析沥青混合料流变特性基础上，概括和总结了国内外沥青混合料流变特性研究成果，有助于进一步认识沥青混合料的弹粘塑性。     

废橡胶粉改性沥青的微观结构与流变特性

采用扫描电镜(SEM)及动态力学(DSR)的方法研究了废橡胶粉改性沥青的微观结构和流变性能.结果表明,废橡胶粉在基质沥青中分散均匀,能很好地吸附沥青,形成稳定的非均相结构;废胶粉改性沥青的复数模量随频率的增加而增大,随温度的升高而减小,沥青逐步转变为粘流态.采用时间温度换算法则得到的频率主曲线可以涵盖路面整个交通状况;对移位因子拟合,高温时WLF方程拟合效果较好,低温时宜采用二次多项式拟合.了解废橡胶粉改性沥青的微观结构及流变性能,为合理应用废橡胶粉改性沥青提供理论支持和技术保障.     

Laboratory evaluation of the effects of short-term oven aging on asphalt binders in asphalt mixtures using HP-GPC

Both the RTFO (rolling-thin film oven) aging of asphalt binders and the STOA (short-term oven aging) of asphalt mixtures are designed to simulate aging during the construction of hot mix asphalt (HMA) pavements. Many studies have been conducted evaluating the aging effects on asphalt binders since their properties can be easily measured using many conventional tests, such as rotational viscometer, DSR (dynamic shear rheometer), and BBR (bending beam rheometer). However, studies on asphalt mixture aging have been limited to mechanical properties such as strength and fatigue characteristics because considerable effort is required to identify the aging of the asphalt binder in a mixture. This study evaluated the effects of short-term oven aging on asphalt mixtures using the GPC (gel-permeation chromatography) procedure. Nine asphalt mixtures, using three different binder sources, were prepared and five short-term aging methods were used to evaluate these mixes. For comparison, the RTFO aging was also conducted for nine asphalt binders. The aging of a binder within asphalt mixtures, including polymer-modified mixtures, could be identified under various short-term aging conditions. Statistical analysis of the GPC test results indicated that two commonly used short-term aging methods in the laboratory, a 154 °C oven aging for 2 h and a 135 °C oven aging for 4 h, are not significantly different, based on the increase in the large molecular size (LMS) ratios. The RTFO aging method was found to have less effect on binder aging than the short-term oven aging methods of asphalt mixtures.     

Effect of polyester resin additive on the properties of asphalt binders and mixtures

The properties of AC-5 control asphalt binder, mixture containing the same asphalt were compared with the properties of AC-10 asphalt binder modified by 0.75%, 1%, 2%, and 3% of polyester resin (PR), mixture containing pure AC-10 and AC-10 modified by 0.75% of PR, respectively.Initial research was done to determine the physical properties of unmodified and PR modified asphalt binders. The AC-10 asphalt binder modified by 0.75% of PR had good results compared to AC-5 control asphalt binder and all other modified binders, and hence this modified binder as well as unmodified binders were used to prepare Marshall samples for Marshall stability and flow, indirect tensile stiffness modulus (ITSM), indirect tensile strength (ITS) and creep stiffness tests.The results of investigation indicate that AC-10 + 0.75% PR binder has better physical properties than AC-5 control asphalt binder and, at the same time, PR improves mechanical properties of asphalt mixture.     

沥青加筋路面有限元分析

通过用ANSYS分别建立路面加筋前和加筋后两类模型，对模型进行求解，对比加筋前后的情况找到两者的区别，并分析产生区别的原因，得出玻璃格栅路面加筋作用效果明显的结论。