A STUDY OF LOW TEMPERATURE HARDENING ON THIN FILM ASPHALT BINDER IN CONTACT WITH AGGREGATE SURFACE

ABSTRACT

The interaction between asphalt and aggregate surfaces before and after low temperature storage (reversible and/or irreversible) at various film thickness was investigated by means of the sliding plate geometry with standard Pyrex glass plates and machined aggregate plates. Significant differences in behavior of asphalts in contact with aggregate plates have been observed, especially at low shear rates. One asphalt shows substantial aggregate surface-induced structuring while another shows essentially none. Moreover, the study of the film thickness effect on the rheological properties of asphalt binders and asphalt aggregate mixtures show that thin films of asphalts on an aggregate surfaces have substantially changed rheological properties from bulk asphalt properties and further, physical properties in thin films are not easily predicted from bulk properties. In addition, the study of storage and setting in thin films of asphalts on aggregate surfaces indicates that oxidative aging occurred after long-term storage (5 months) at room temperature of 25°C. Infrared spectroscopic analytical results on asphalt binders show that sulfoxide and ketone form during storage. It is interesting to note that the molecular structuring effect in asphalt-aggregate mixtures could be partially eliminated by heating to a temperature above 100°C for a short period of time (20 seconds). The results also show that the aggregate surface-induced structuring as well as the asphalt composition contribute to the long-term storage hardening of asphalt-aggregate mixtures at low temperature.