An Assessment of Moisture Susceptibility and Ageing Effect on Nanoclay-Modified AC Mixtures Containing Flakes of Plastic Film Collected as Urban Waste

Abstract

In this research, the moisture susceptibility of a nanoclay-modified asphalt concrete (AC) mixture containing plastic film (in flakes) collected as urban waste was evaluated with specimens subjected to the tecnico accelerated ageing (TEAGE) procedure. The TEAGE procedure attempts to simulate—in a laboratory setting—the effect of field ageing by applying watering/drying cycles and ultraviolet radiation. For comparison purposes, three AC mixtures were considered, one for control, without plastic and nanoclay, a mixture with only plastic, and a mixture with both plastic and nanoclay. Furthermore, only half of the specimens were subjected to the ageing procedure. The plastic was added to the mixture using the dry process, and the nanoclay was blended with the bitumen before mixture preparation. The moisture susceptibility was evaluated, using a total of 48 Marshall specimens, by the indirect tensile strength ratio (ITSR). From the results of this study, the nanoclay-modified AC mixture containing plastic film presented slightly higher indirect tensile strength (ITS) values, lower moisture susceptibility, and enhanced ageing resistance. These slight improvements can be justified by the reduced air voids content of the samples and consequently they must be seen as conservative. Nevertheless, the modification of AC mixtures with flakes of plastic and nanoclay can be a viable solution for the recycling of plastic film collected as urban waste, being an eco-friendly alternative to disposal in landfills.