Development of a Long-Term Durability Specification for Modified Asphalt

Project Description

With the increasing use of modified asphalt binders, there is a need for methods that can evaluate the effectiveness of modifiers, including variables such as modifier content and composition of the base asphalt, and for specifications that are applicable to these materials. This projected addressed these needs by: studying current polymer-modified binders and their base materials to determine their effectiveness; studying the extent to which polymer effectiveness is lost due to binder oxidation; determining the correlation of laboratory aging methods to field aging; recommending an aging test protocol, test procedure, and binder criterion that correlate to failure on the road; and creating a specification for testing an aged binder as an indication of ultimate failure of the binder after aging. The results of this research provide needed information for evaluating the ability of polymer modifiers to extend the service life of a pavement binder and thus for determining a polymer's cost-effectiveness. The results are also useful for evaluating in-service pavements that contain either unmodified or polymer-modified binders to estimate their remaining life. Such estimates will be valuable to the scheduling of maintenance and rehabilitation dollars and resources.

Project Publications

Polymer Modified Asphalt Durability in Pavements 0-4688-1

Development of a Long-Term Durability Specification for Modified Asphalt 0-4688-S

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