Engineering Characterisation Of Epoxidized Natural Rubber-Modified Hot-Mix Asphalt

Road distress results in high maintenance costs. However, increased understandings of
asphalt behaviour and properties coupled with technological developments have allowed
paving technologists to examine the benefits of introducing additives and modifiers. As a
result, polymers have become extremely popular as modifiers to improve the performance
of the asphalt mix. This study investigates the performance characteristics of epoxidized
natural rubber (ENR)-modified hot-mix asphalt. Tests were conducted using ENR–asphalt
mixes prepared using the wet process. Mechanical testing on the ENR–asphalt mixes
showed that the resilient modulus of the mixes was greatly affected by testing temperature
and frequency. On the other hand, although rutting performance decreased at high temperatures because of the increased elasticity of the ENR–asphalt mixes, fatigue performance
improved at intermediate temperatures as compared to the base mix. However, durability
tests indicated that the ENR–asphalt mixes were slightly susceptible to the presence of
moisture. In conclusion, the performance of asphalt pavement can be enhanced by incorporating ENR as a modifier to counter major road distress.