The use of rubber granulate in the composition of asphalt mixtures, as well as the use of poroelastic layers, is indicated by many research centers as a factor with a positive effect on tire/road noise reduction. Attention is however paid to their lower structural durability compared to asphalt concrete (AC) or stone mastic asphalt (SMA). Stone mastic asphalt reducing tire/road noise (SMA LA) layers have also been recently used as low-noise road surfaces. The article presents the test results of viscoelastic properties of asphalt mixtures SMA8 LA, SMA8 LA containing 10%, 20%, and 30% of rubber granulate, with bitumen 50/70, bitumen 50/70 modified with styrene butadiene styrene (SBS) copolymer, crumb rubber, and mixtures with bitumen modified simultaneously with crumb rubber and SBS copolymer. The reference asphalt mixture was the porous asphalt (PA8). The presented results of water damage resistance, degradation resistance in the Cantabro abrasion loss test, stiffness modulus as a function of temperature and hysteresis loop proved that the amount of rubber granulate and the type of binder significantly affect the values of these parameters. Attention was paid to the possibility of using the results of uniaxial cyclic compression tests when determining the proportion of rubber granulate in SMA8 LA mixtures. Tests of hysteresis loops and stiffness modulus confirm much higher elasticity of SMA8 LA mixtures with rubber granulate as compared to mixtures without the addition of granulate.

Good quality bitumen used in the production of bitumen-aggregate mixtures is a binder with high stiffness and elasticity at high operating temperatures occurring in summer and adequate flexibility during exposure to sub-zero temperatures. Currently, one of the best technological solutions to improve the viscoelasticity of bitumen and the resistance to ageing is their modification with various types of additives. The paper presents the results of penetration tests as a function of temperature, softening point (ring and ball method) and strain energy at various temperatures of road bitumen modified with SBS (styrene-butadiene-styrene) copolymer, crumb rubber and simultaneous bitumen modification with SBS copolymer and crumb rubber. The obtained results allowed to assess temperature sensitivity, resistance to changes in selected technical properties of the tested binders as a result of technological ageing process with RTFOT (Roler Thin Film Oven Tester) method and to evaluate changes in their technical properties in relation to the 50/70 base bitumen. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to analyse the impact of the modification type on the test results of technical properties (significance of the impact of the considered factors on the level of technical properties).

Low-noise asphalt mixtures are characterized by increased air void content. Their more open structure contributes to faster degradation within the operating temperature range. For this reason, binder modification is used in their production. The correct selection of modifiers allows one to significantly improve the technical properties of the mixtures. The article presents the results of tests of six types of mixtures: stone mastic asphalt (SMA8), porous asphalt (PA8), stone mastic asphalt reducing tire/road noise (SMA8 LA) and stone mastic asphalt reducing tire/road noise, with 10%, 20% and 30% content of rubber granulate (RG). Bitumen 50/70 modified with copolymer styrene butadiene styrene (SBS) and crumb rubber (CR) was used for the production of the mixtures. In order to determine the differences in the technical properties of the mixtures, the following parameters were tested: stiffness modules by indirect tensile testing of cylindrical specimens (IT-CY) in a wide range of positive temperatures, and resistance to permanent deformation using the British and Belgian methods with the use of double wheel tracker (DWT). The test results and their analysis confirmed that there was a significant improvement in the IT-CY stiffness modules of SBS and CR modified mixtures. Replacing more than 20% of coarse aggregate with RG causes a significant decrease in the stiffness of the mixture (by 90% in relation to the reference mixture SMA8 LA). The SMA mixtures obtained lower values of rutting resistance parameters (WTS and PRD) in water (Belgian method) compared to the results obtained in the air tests (British method). On the other hand, mixtures of PA, thanks to the compression of stresses in pores filled with water, obtained better results when the rutting resistance test was performed in the water (Belgian method).