Performance of modified asphalt binder with tire rubber powder

Abstract

The two major distresses associated with flexible pavement are rutting deformation and fatigue cracking in world highways. This is mainly because of the increasing load and higher tire pressure of vehicles which are applied to highway pavements today. At the same time, the asphalt containing neat binders does not always performed as expected. As a consequence, these distresses reduce the design life of the pavement and increase the maintenance costs tremendously. Therefore, in order to minimize the distresses and increase the durability of asphalt pavement, there is need to improve the performance properties of neat asphalt binders. Many researchers reported that using different types of polymer to modify the asphalt binder could be a solution to minimize the distresses occurred in asphalt pavement and improve the overall performance of the pavement. Disposal of waste tires is a serious environmental concern in many countries. Several attempts were made in the past to modify asphalt binder using tire rubber powder to improve the performance of neat asphalt binders. It is believed that the use of Tire Rubber Powder (TRP) as an additive in the modification of asphalt binder can improve the binder performance properties, increase the durability of the pavement, and reduces the waste disposal problem. This study aims to review the previous studies conducted on the use of tire rubber powder in the modification of asphalt binder. It was observed that addition of tire rubber powder to the asphalt binder enhances the properties of modified binder. It was found that an increase in the percentage of tire rubber powder causes an increase in rutting factor (G*/sind) and decrease in fatigue factor (G*sind) indicating higher resistance against rutting and fatigue cracking. In addition, the use of tire rubber powder to modify asphalt binder is considered as a solution to enhance environmental and economic sustainability of pavements.