The Evaluation of Physical and Mechanical Properties of Synthetic Polymer Modified Hot and Warm Mix Asphalt

Abstract

Abstract The application of polymer in an asphalt concrete (AC) mixture has reached wide popularity lately to deal with the increasing demand for higher quality roads with heavier traffic loading. Ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), classified as a thermoplastic, is currently one of the most popular polymers employed. This research attempts to evaluate the effect of adding EVA by means of the dry method, namely by pouring the additive directly into the mixture, which produces both hot and warm Polymer-Modified Asphalt Concrete (PMAC) mix. FTIR result indicates the polymer as a thermoplastic material. Moreover, the volumetric and mechanical properties of the mixture were examined through the density and semi-circular bending (SCB) tests. The outcomes show that the inclusion of the polymer could slightly modify the density and VMA of the AC mix. Meanwhile, the tensile strength, fracture energy, crack resistance index (CRI), and flexibility index (FI) results describe substantial enhancement brought by the polymer, with a generally increasing trend up 200% of the control mix. Conclusively, the application of polymer could enhance the physical and mechanical properties of hot and warm AC mixes with the optimum dosages of 5 and 6%. Additionally, the properties of warm PMA are somewhat comparable to the regular hot AC mix.