Resurface of rubber modified asphalt mixture with stress absorbing membrane interlayer: From laboratory to field application

• Published in: Construction and Building Materials
• Main Authors: Jin, Dongzhao, Yin, Lei, Nedrich, Sara, Ampadu Boateng, Kwadwo, You, Zhanping
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: Digital Commons @ Michigan Tech 2024
• Subjects: 6PPD-quinone; Asphalt binder properties; Ground tire rubber; High-temperature and low temperature test; Trans-Polyoctylene Rubber; Department of Civil; Environmental; and Geospatial Engineering; Civil and Environmental Engineering; sami
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/michigantech-p2/914; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2024.137452

The increasing concern over tire pollution, exacerbated by the improper disposal of waste tires, serves as the backdrop for this research, which aims to explore the efficacy of incorporating ground tire rubber (GTR) into asphalt mixtures enhanced with a stress-absorbing membrane interlayer (SAMI). In this study, three variations of Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) were evaluated: a conventional mix, a rubber-modified asphalt mixture (RMA), and a trans-polyoctenamer rubber (TOR) modified asphalt mixture in the laboratory. The assessment focused on the high and low-temperature performance of the asphalt mix and binder. Key findings from the laboratory tests indicate that the integration of a SAMI layer and GTR as additives markedly boosts the crack resistance of the asphalt mixture. Despite a reduction in fracture energy across all three HMA types following long-term aging, the GTR-modified HMA maintained superior fracture energy relative to the conventional mix. Initially, the inclusion of GTR adversely affected the mixture's rutting resistance. However, after undergoing long-term aging, both the conventional and GTR-modified HMAs exhibited exceptional rutting and moisture damage resistance. Field noise assessments further demonstrated that GTR-enhanced pavements produced noise levels approximately 2 dB lower than those of standard asphalt pavements. Additionally, pavements lacking a SAMI layer manifested low-severity cracking, with an average cracking frequency occurring every 2 ∼ 6 m, whereas pavements equipped with a SAMI layer exhibited no cracking following two winter seasons. The rubber asphalt overlay may increase the leaching of 6PPD-quinone, but the SAMI layer helps reduce tire wear particle generation by preventing road cracking. Rubber asphalt overlay leaching tests resulted in 6PPD-quinone concentrations lower than currently available toxicity data (LC50 for Coho Salmon, 0.095 ug/L). In conclusion, the utilization of dry-processed rubber asphalt mixes alongside a SAMI layer in pavement construction not only ...