Rutting Resistance of Hot Mix Asphalt Containing Coarse Recycled Concrete Aggregates Coated with Waste Plastic Bottles

Abstract

The use of recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) as a part of coarse aggregates in asphalt pavements confers economic and environmental benefits. Coarse RCA (CRCA) has inferior mechanical and physical properties compared to natural aggregates due to very porous and weakly adhered cement mortar. In this study, CRCA surfaces were coated with waste plastic bottles (WPB) and used at 15%, 30%, and 50% in the asphalt concrete. The Marshall, stiffness modulus, and dynamic creep tests were performed to determine the strength of hot mix asphalts against rutting. The results revealed that the use of untreated CRCA reduced the Marshall quotient and the rutting resistance of the asphalt concrete. The results of the stiffness modulus and dynamic creep tests indicated that CRCA incorporation increased permanent deformation in the tested specimens due to the reduction of asphalt concrete stiffness. However, the asphalt concrete containing treated CRCA had lower permanent deformation because WPB promotes CRCA stability by penetrating its void and reinforcing cement mortar. Furthermore, by raising the temperature, the strength of all asphalt concretes decreased against rutting, and the reduction rate was higher in the modified specimens.