Mechanical Characterization and Chemical Identification of Clear Binders for Road Surface Courses

Abstract

The development of non‐black asphalt mixtures for surface courses may play a significant role to improve functional, aesthetic and environmental issues of road pavements. Nowadays, the development of clear binders as substitutes for traditional bitumen in asphalt mixtures, which combine durability and mechanical properties, exalting the color of pavements for a better integration of road networks in urban and environmentally sensitive areas, is undoubtedly a timing challenge. However, the selection and classification of clear binders are often based only on color and standard requirements referred to traditional bitumen that do not describe consistently the binder behavior. A better understanding on clear binder properties is required to guide the aggregate selection and the mix design for surface layer, merging safety, aesthetical and environmental benefits into long lasting pavement. This paper presents a comprehensive experimental program, including empirical tests, infrared spectrum analysis, and rheological testing over a wide range of temperature and frequency, to determine the overall mechanical behavior of three clear binders. Results highlighted that the selected clear binders differ from traditional bitumen in terms of mechanical behavior. Different composition or origin can induce to completely different performance. Moreover, the combination of several testing procedures allowed suggesting specific application methods and uses for the three clear binders.

Introduction of a New Parameter to Quantify the Fatigue Damage in Asphalt Mastics and Asphalt Binder

“…The short-term ageing (STA) simulates the ageing during mixing and compaction of the asphalt mixture at the time of production, whereas the long-term ageing (LTA) was done to create the field conditions corresponding to several years of ageing. Generally, rolling thin film oven test (RTFOT) [30][31][32][33] and Pressure ageing vessel (PAV) [34] are used for STA and LTA, respectively. This study used another ageing method known as the Universal Simple Ageing Test (USAT) method introduced by Western Research Institute (WRI) [35].…”

Synthesis of Room Temperature Curable Polymer Binder Mixed with Polymethyl Methacrylate and Urethane Acrylate for High-Strength and Improved Transparency

“…Also, insufficient urethane bonding will cause phase separation from PMMA, so it is essential to take care. Therefore, in this study, a blend process of UA and PMMA was performed after synthesizing oligomeric UA [24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31]. PMMA is synthesized through a copolymerization process using a butyl acrylate monomer and a methyl methacrylate (MMA) monomer and has excellent optical properties, high weather resistance, and adhesive strength [32].…”

Advances in the Rheology of Synthetic Binder for Sustainable Road Pavements: An Improved Protocol for DSR Testing

“…As an example, based on a variety of stress, time and temperature tests, a clear synthetic binder was found to behave discontinuously due to a phase transition, presenting poor stiffness at high temperatures, as well as great hardness at low ones, with probable implications related to thermal cracking [13]. For an analogy, three clear synthetic binders were found to show thermorheologically complex behaviors, alternatively exhibiting asymptotical responses to the glassy limit or pure viscous flow state, or discontinuities in the phase angle domain; this was ascribed to the melting of wax-like constituent materials or the presence of different solid-like components which generate a rubbery-like plateau [22]. A rheological complexity was also detected for polyethyl-acrylate, polymethyl-acrylate and polybutyl-acrylate binders that, in certain cases, demonstrated considerably polymer-like behavior, such as variable consistency and a greater viscosity with respect to conventional binders [19].…”