Chemo-rheological equivalence of bitumen between different lab ageing procedures: from binder to mixture

Abstract

In an attempt to mimic the in-situ ageing of asphalt pavements, the exploration of appropriate laboratory ageing simulations has led to multiple standards on binder level. On asphalt mixture level, however, less consensus exists regarding ageing simulation protocols. This study aims to compare the chemo-rheological performance of bitumen between lab ageing protocols for binders, compacted and loose asphalt mixtures. A bituminous binder was used in bitumen ageing protocols, while it was also used to produce an AC10 mixture that was conditioned as a loose mixture and for compacted cylinders and slabs. Oven ageing of the mixtures was conducted for up to 9 days at 85 °C. The binder testing results, derived from empirical, rheological and chemical tests, indicate that 20 h of PAV ageing yields approximately similar results as 1–2 days of loose mixture oven ageing. Furthermore, in compacted samples, only the outer edge was influenced significantly by oxidative ageing.

KEYWORDS:

• Bitumen ageing
• asphalt mixture ageing
• FTIR
• DSR

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the technical support provided by the lab technicians at the University of Antwerp, master student Thomas Gonnissen and researcher Karolien Couscheir.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).