Physical properties of warm cup lump modified bitumen

Abstract

Despite the several benefits of modifying bitumen with polymer; it is increasingly becoming difficult to ignore concerns about its high energy consumption and fume emissions during asphalt production. Previous studies found on natural rubber (NR) modified binders applied it as a hot mix asphalt (HMA), however in recent years there has been increasing interest in warm mix asphalt. This research explores the possibility of applying NR in warm mix asphalt (WMA) by comparing the physical properties of cup lump rubber modified bitumen with and without warm mix additive. Four percentages (2.5%, 5.0%, 7.5% and 10%) of Cup lump rubber (CLR) was used to modify 60/70 penetration grade bitumen, while three percentages (0.3%, 0.4%, and 0.5%) of Evotherm chemical was added to produce warm cup lump modified bitumen (WCMB). Storage stability, penetration, softening point, viscosity, ductility, and elastic recovery tests were conducted to determine the effect of CLR and Evotherm. The results show that storage stability and viscosity of the cup lump modified bitumen heavily depends on the CLR content. While a positive correlation exists between the increase in binder stiffness with increasing mixing and compaction temperatures. The addition of 0.5% Evotherm reduces the viscosity by 14%. Contrary to expectations, CLR was found to reduce the ductility of the bitumen while the presence of Evotherm in the blend increases the softening point. The use of warm NR modified bitumen in road construction is expected to lower the asphalt production temperature, carbon emission and cost without compromising the performance of the mix.