Performance evaluation of warm mix asphalt mixtures incorporating reclaimed asphalt pavement

摘要

Sustainability is a cornerstone of today???s engineering world. Warm mix asphalt (WMA) and reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) are the most prominent sustainable materials in asphalt concrete pavements. WMA is a not a new concept, however new innovations and increased usage of WMA has been spurred by the increased focus on sustainable infrastructure systems. WMA enables reduced production temperatures through the use of wax, water, or other chemical packages. The effects of reduced production temperatures include fuel use and emissions reductions, improved compaction, and possible RAP concentration increases. RAP is the primary recycled product of the aged asphalt concrete pavements and its use leads to reductions in virgin aggregate and asphalt demand. However, significant performance issues can stem from the individual integration of WMA or RAP materials in asphalt concrete. In particular, WMA technologies can increase moisture and rutting susceptibility while RAP significantly increases the stiffness of the resulting mixture. Consequently, quality performance of sustainable asphalt pavements may require the combined use of WMA and RAP to produce mixtures with sufficient stiffness and moisture and fracture resistance.This study evaluates the potential of WMA technologies and their integration with RAP. Initially, an extensive literature review was completed to understand the advantages, disadvantages, and past field and lab performance of WMA and RAP mixtures. Rotational viscometer and bending beam rheometer tests were then used to evaluate Sasobit, Evotherm M1, and Advera WMA modified and unmodified binders. Finally, virgin and 45% RAP mixtures were designed and tested to examine the rutting, moisture, and fracture resistance of WMA and HMA mixtures. The results of this experiment provided several key observations. First, viscosity reductions may not be the primary cause for the availability of reduced production temperatures for WMA technologies. Second, WMA additive properties have a significant effect upon fracture, moisture, and rutting resistance. Furthermore, the addition of RAP to WMA mixtures improved the rutting and moisture sensitivity performance as characterized in the Hamburg and Tensile Strength Ratio testing procedures.