Impact of Ageing and Moisture Damage on the Fracture Properties of Plastic Waste Modified Asphalt

Abstract

Abstract The utilisation of plastic waste as a modifier in asphalt mixtures has inflicted significant impacts on the cracking resistance of the produced mixtures. Whilst many studies have evaluated the cracking resistance of asphalt mixtures incorporating plastic waste using wet method, limited studies have used the dry method are available. The current study aims to evaluate the effect of plastic waste incorporation on the fracture properties of conventional asphalt mixture. In addition, the impact of ageing and moisture damage on the fracture properties of modified asphalt was also investigated. Indirect tensile strength test was carried out to assess the CT-index, tensile strength, and fracture energy of the asphalt mixtures before and after exposure to ageing and moisture conditioning. The finding revealed that the asphalt mixture incorporating plastic waste demonstrated superior resistance to thermal and fatigue cracking compared to the control mixture, thus proving the capability of plastic waste in increasing the resistance of asphalt against ageing and moisture damage.