EFFECT OF BINDER VISCOSITY ON SUSCEPTIBILITY OF ASPHALT TO RUTTING

It is generally accepted that an increase in the viscosity of the binder in asphalt enhances the resistance of the asphalt to rutting. This idea led to recent initiatives to specify that bitumen used for asphalt should have a high post RTFO viscosity . As the extent of improvement in rutting resistance with the increase in post RTFO viscosity has never been quantified, it is not known whether the suggested changes to bitumen specifications would result in a significant increase in the rutting resistance of asphalt. To check whether these changes are significant, a laboratory investigation was carried out in which several asphalt mixes with the same grading, but with binders which had different viscosities, were prepared. Additional asphalt mixes containing PMBs were also prepared. The creep and modulus of the asphalt mixes were then measured with MATTA, and the mixes' creep used as a criterion for the relative susceptibility of the asphalt to rutting. The results show that a small increase in the binder post RTFO viscosity had only a minor effect on the laboratory measured susceptibility of asphalt to rutting. Evidently, to achieve a demonstrable increase in rutting resistance of asphalt, much higher levels of binder viscosity are required. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see IRRD abstract no. 878411.

• Corporate Authors:

  Australian Asphalt Association

  21 Burwood Road
  Hawthorne, Victoria,   Australia 
• Authors:
  • MEYDAN, A
  • PARRY, M A
  • BUDIJA, M
  • CORNELIUS, PDM
• Publication Date: 1996

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: 15 p.
• Serial:
  • NEW FASHIONED FLEXIBLE PAVEMENTS: AAPA PAVEMENTS INDUSTRY CONFERENCE, 1996, SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA
  • Publisher: Australian Asphalt Association

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Binders; Bituminous mixtures; Conferences; Creep; Laboratories; Marshall test; Mix design; Pavements; Performance; Rutting; Test procedures; Viscosity
• ITRD Terms: 4948: Binder; 4967: Bituminous mixture; 8525: Conference; 4732: Creep (mater); 5910: Durability; 6237: Laboratory (not an organization); 6290: Marshall; 4714: Mix design; 2955: Pavement; 3081: Rutting (wheel); 6288: Test method; 5936: Viscosity
• Subject Areas: Highways; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00736125
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: ARRB
• Files: ITRD, ATRI
• Created Date: May 30 1997 12:00AM