In this study, an asphalt binder was modified with epoxidized methyl soyate (EMS) that was engineered at Iowa State University. The binder modification was accomplished in an asphalt terminal, and the resulting binder was used for reversing the undesired effects of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) in a mixture containing 30% of this reclaimed material. The modified mixture was produced in an asphalt plant for a pavement demonstration project that occurred in November 2017. The EMS-modified mixture with 30% RAP and a control mixture containing only 18% RAP were used for paving a 7-mile stretch of a high-volume roadway in O'Brien County, Iowa, U.S. About 6.6 miles of the roadway were paved with the control low RAP mixture that is traditionally used for paving roadways in Iowa, and the remaining 0.33 miles were paved with the high RAP EMS-modified mixture. To predict the field performance of the mixtures, the low-temperature cracking and fatigue cracking resistance of the mixtures were evaluated using disc-shaped compact tension (DCT) and push-pull fatigue tests, respectively. The results revealed that the EMS restorative reactive modifier (RRM) used in this study results in reversing the undesired effects of RAP and improving the low-temperature cracking and fatigue resistance of the asphalt mixture containing 30% RAP.
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