Thermal fatigue of polymer modified bitumen

Abstract

Thermal fatigue is a serious distress in flexible pavement that reduces performance and durability. Many researchers have made efforts to understand the thermal fatigue phenomenology. Until now, there has not existed a standard test method for evaluating mixture and binder resistance to thermal fatigue. The bitumen binder is the first factor that participates in the degradation of asphalt concrete. The objective of this study was to contribute to characterizing the EVA polymer modified bitumen, which was subjected to thermal fatigue. The aim of this work is to determine the rheological components and their evolutions under thermal fatigue with heating–cooling cycles. The results suggest that thermal fatigue has more complicated effects on the rheological behavior of modified bitumen. It is concluded that thermal fatigue due to thermal cycling with aging is a major component in accelerating the degradation of pavement.