The performance of recycled-tire-rubber-modified asphalt mainly depends on the structure of rubber in the asphalt. The effects of the curing temperature, mixing time, and shearing on the evolution of the chemical structure and morphological structure of crumb rubber in asphalt were investigated. The crosslink density, compositions, and morphological evolution of the residual crumb rubber were characterized. The results show that the structure evolution of tire rubber in asphalt was greatly affected by the curing temperature. At a low curing temperature (1808C), the crosslinking network of the tire rubber was broken down, and this led to the partial dissolution of natural rubber (NR). However, at high curing temperature (2408C), the dissolution of NR, synthetic rubber, carbon black, and inorganic filler was observed. The released carbon black covered with a thin layer of bound rubber dispersed at a microstructured or nanostructured size in the asphalt.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.