Modified Bitumen 2018 - 19

MODIFIED BITUMEN

1. Introduction
1.1. Bitumen
Bitumen is a black, highly viscous and very sticky liquid or semi-solid, found in some
natural deposits. It is also the by-product of fractional distillation of crude petroleum.
Basically, Bitumen is composed of highly condensed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,
containing 95% carbon and hydrogen (± 87% carbon and ± 8% hydrogen), up to 5%
sulphur, 1% nitrogen, 1% oxygen and 2000 ppm metals. Also bitumen is Mixture of
about 400 - 2000 chemical components, with an average of around 600 - 800.
It is the heaviest fraction of crude oil, the one with highest boiling point (525° C).
Bitumen acts as binding agent for aggregates in bituminous mixes. Generally in India
bitumen used in road construction of flexible pavement is of grades 60/70 or 80/100
penetration grade.

Fig. 1: Bitumen

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1.2. Different forms of Bitumen

Cutback Bitumen: A suitable solvent is mixed to reduce viscosity.

Bitumen is ‘cutback’ by adding controlled amounts of petroleum distillates such as
kerosene. This is done to reduce the viscosity of the bitumen temporarily so it can
penetrate pavements more effectively or to allow spraying at temperatures that are too
cold for successful sprayed sealing with neat bitumen. The materials used to cutback
bitumen will evaporate after application to leave the remaining material similar in
hardness to the original bitumen

Fig. 2: Cutback Bitumen

Bitumen Emulsion: Bitumens suspended in finely divided condition in aqueous medium

60% bitumen and 40% water. Bituminous Primers: Primers are obtained by mixing of
penetration bitumen with petroleum distillate. Bitumen emulsion is a mixture of water &
bitumen. We know that bitumen is a oil product and it cannot be mixed with water. That
is why we add an emulsifier (a surface active agent) with water before adding bitumen.
Addition of emulsifier with water facilitates breaking of bitumen into minute particles
and keeps it dispersed in .Therefore we can say that a bitumen emulsion is a liquid
product consisting of three things, (where droplets of bitumen are suspended in water. A
number of technologies allow asphalt/bitumen to be mixed at much lower temperatures.
These involve mixing with petroleum solvents to form "cutbacks" with reduced melting
point, or mixtures with water to turn the asphalt/bitumen into an emulsion. Asphalt

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emulsions contain up to 70% asphalt/bitumen and typically less than 1.5% chemical
additives. There are two main types of emulsions with different affinity for
aggregates, cationic and anionic. Asphalt emulsions are used in a wide variety of
applications. Chipseal involves spraying the road surface with asphalt emulsion followed
by a layer of crushed rock, gravel or crushed slag. Slurry seal involves the creation of a
mixture of asphalt emulsion and fine crushed aggregate that is spread on the surface of a
road. Cold-mixed asphalt can also be made from asphalt emulsion to create pavements
similar to hot-mixed asphalt, several inches in depth and asphalt emulsions are also
blended into recycled hot-mix asphalt to create low-cost pavements.

Fig. 3: Bitumen Emulsion

Modified Bitumen: Blend of bitumen with modifiers such as waste plastics or crumb
rubber or fly ash is called Modified Bitumen. Modified Bitumen PMB 40 is a highly
specialized blend of bitumen with high quality polymer (Elastomeric) manufactured
under carefully controlled condition in a “State of Art” plant. HINCOL PMB 40 is an
exceptionally versatile product with enhanced properties that makes it suitable for
wearing course application under special conditions like high rainfall and high traffic
areas. Modified Bitumen PMB 40 is strictly manufactured as per IRC SP 53-2004 and
IS 15462:2004 and is recommended for hot climatic Areas.

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1.3. Requirements of Bitumen

The desirable properties of bitumen depend on the mix type and construction. In general,
Bitumen should posses following desirable properties.
• The bitumen should not be highly temperature susceptible: during the hottest weather
the mix should not become too soft or unstable, and during cold weather the mix
should not become too brittle causing cracks.
• The viscosity of the bitumen at the time of mixing and compaction should be
adequate. This can be achieved by use of cutbacks or emulsions of suitable grades or
by heating the bitumen and aggregates prior to mixing.
• There should be adequate affinity and adhesion between the bitumen and aggregates
used in the mix.

2. MODIFIED BITUMEN

Certain additives or blend of additives called as bitumen modifiers can improve

properties of Bitumen and bituminous mixes. Bitumen treated with these modifiers is
known as modified bitumen. Polymer modified bitumen (PMB)/ crumb rubber modified
bitumen (CRMB) should be used only in wearing course depending upon the
requirements of extreme climatic variations. The detailed specifications for modified
bitumen have been issued by IRC: SP: 53-1999. It must be noted that the performance of
PMB and CRMB is dependent on strict control on temperature during construction.

2.1. Applications of Modified Bitumen

 Since a bituminous mix prepared with modified bitumen has a higher stiffness
modulus, enhanced fatigue life, better resistance to creep and higher indirect tensile
strength, it is suitable as a wearing course, a binder course and overlay material on
surfaces which are cracked and subjected to heavy traffic.
 Modified binders are also used for application like Stress Absorbing Membrane
(SAM) for sealing of cracks, Stress Absorbing Membrane Interlayer (SAMI) for
delaying reflection cracking, Porous Asphalt and Stone Matrix Asphalt (SMA).

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 Modified bitumen performs better than conventional bitumen in situations, where

the aggregates are prone to stripping.
 Due to their better creep resistance properties, they can also be used at busy
intersections, bridge decks and roundabouts for increased life of the surfacing.

2.2. TYPES OF BITUMEN MODIFIERS

Polymer Modified Bitumen

'Polymer' is a derived word meaning "of many parts". Polymers can be thought
of as long chemical strands that are made up of many smaller chemicals (monomers)
that are joined together end-on-end. Polymers can therefore be made up of different
numbers of the monomers and therefore they can have different 'chain lengths'. Only
certain chain lengths may be suitable for a particular polymer type when used in
bitumen. For example, the polymer 'polystyrene' is made up of many styrene molecules
linked together one after the other. Two basic types of polymer are used in modifying
bitumen for road applications: Bitumen occurs naturally, it is mostly obtained as a
byproduct of oil production, and however, its thermoplastic characteristics cause
difficulties with roads. It has been demonstrated that the apparent glass transition
temperature of bitumen is nearly zero degree Celsius. Bitumen is a visco-elastic
material and may exhibit either elastic or viscous behavior, or a combination of these,
depending on temperature and time over which bitumen is observe. At sufficiently low
temperatures and high rates of strain, bitumen behaves essentially as an elastic solid.
Thus, asphalt concretes are susceptible to low temperature cracking that may lead to
fracture. Further, in high summer temperatures asphalt undergoes flow or creep. The
stability of asphalt paving surfaces requires that it does not flow or creep under heavy
load.
 Elastomers
 Plastomers

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Table.1. Types of Bitumen Modification

Indicative dose
Sl. Type
Example level % by weight
No.
of bitumen
1 PLASTICS Polyethylene (PE) 3–6
 Thermoplastics Ethylene Vinyl Acetate 3–5
 Thermosets (EVA)
Epoxy Resins
2 ELASTOMERS Dry rubber content Styrene
 Natural Rubber Butadiene Copolymer 2-4
 Synthetic Rubber (SBR)
Styrene Butadiene Styrene
block Copolymer (SBR)

3 RECLAIMED RUBBER Crumb Rubber improved by 10 – 12

adding additives

An elastomer is a polymer that has a flexible 'rubber' backbone and large side-chains in
its structure. Styrene butadiene styrene (SBS) is an example of this type.
A plastomer is a polymer that will deform in a plastic or viscous manner at melt
temperatures and becomes hard and stiff at low temperatures, i.e. the structure is
reversibly broken down with the application of heat.
Two basics types of rubber are used in modifying bitumen for road application:
 Natural rubber (NRMB)
 crumb rubber (CRMB)

Types of Polymer

Synthetic Polymers: These are polymers that have been manufactured in a chemical
process to combine particular molecules in a way that would not occur naturally. And

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although various synthetic polymers have been capable of being produced since the early
part of this century it is the more recently developed polymers that are now being used to
modify bitumen and produce the "new" bituminous binders.

Natural Rubber: Rubberized asphalt, mainly surface course (wearing course) but also
binder course (base course), has been used with a fair degree of success for over 40 years.
Rubber is a natural polymer and its action in a bituminous mix is similar to that of the
synthetic TR’s.

Table 2. Different types of modifiers

Type of modifier Examples

Plastomeric Thermoplastics Polyethylene (PE), Ethylene

Vinyl Acetate (EVA), Ethylene
Butyl Acrylate and Ethylene Tar

Synthetic Polymer (ETP )

Polymers
Elastomeric Thermoplastics Styrene Isopropene Styrene
(SIS), Styrene-Butadiene-
Styrene (SBS) block copolymer,
etc...

Synthetic Rubbers Synthetic Rubber Latex Styrene Butadiene Rubber

(SBR) latex and any other
suitable synthetic rubber

Natural Rubber Latex or rubber powder

Other Rubbers Crumb Rubber Crumb rubber powder from

discarded truck tyres further
improved by additives like
gilsonite resin

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Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA):

Fig. 4: Ethylene Vinyl Acetate Particles

There are many types of EVA polymers available. EVA polymers can contain different
ratios of ethylene to vinyl acetate and can have different molecule weights, i.e. different
polymer lengths. Typical vinyl acetate levels are 18% and 33%. The following main
parameters control the properties of EVA: VA content: The more the VA content
increases, the higher the proportion of rubbery regions (i.e. an increase in flexibility) and
the lower the proportion of crystalline regions (i.e. a decrease in stiffness). They are
highly flexible products, compatible with many other polymers and additives, and are
easy to process. Due to its chemical structure, the EVA range:
 Are highly flexible
 Delivers high cohesive strength and compatibility
 Ensures excellent adhesion to a wide range of substrates
 Are highly resistant to rupture
See below the structure of random Ethylene Vinyl Acetate copolymers obtained by high
pressure radical polymerization.

Advantages of Polymer Modified Bitumen

 Improve of temperature sensitivity and resistance to rutting

 Improve of low temperature properties and resistance to cracking
 Better resistance to fatigue cracking

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 Better resistance to ageing of bitumen

Crumb Rubber Modified Bitumen

Bitumen-rubber is manufactured by adding graded crumbed rubber, obtained from
grinding vehicle tyres, to hot bitumen which contains a quantity of heavy extender oil.
Following the addition of the rubber, a digestion period is required for the rubber to swell
and partially dissolve in the bitumen/extender oil blend. The rubber never completely
dissolves in the bitumen and the product is thus classed as a non-homogenous binder.
Special manufacturing equipment is required to manufacture this highly viscous material
Crumb Rubber Modified Bitumen is conventional bitumen with treated crumb rubber
bitumen at high temperature which results in

 Lower susceptibility to temperature variations

 Higher resistance to deformation at high temperature
 Better age resistance properties
 Higher fatigue life for mixes
 Better adhesion properties

Fig 5: Crumb Rubber Modified Bitumen

Sources of crumb rubber

Crumb rubber can be obtained from truck tyres or automobile tyres or both. Truck tyres
contain 80 percent more rubber hydrocarbons than automobile tyres and also contain
significantly higher amount of natural rubber. Whole truck tyre contains 18 percent

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natural rubber compared to 9 percent in an automobile tyre and 2 percent in tyre trades.
The amount of natural rubber has shown to affect the properties of CRMB significantly.
Different manufacturing processes are followed for producing Crumb Rubber
Modified Binders (CRMB) and each process results in material with different mechanical
properties. Over and above this, the size and gradation as well as the physical/chemical
properties of rubber play a critical role. Needless to say, the influence of the nature of the
unmodified binder is pertinent here. This nature manifests in terms of crude source,
processing method and the fraction of asphaltenes/maltenes content. Crumb rubber is
manufactured by grinding whole rubber to about 4.75 to 0.075 mm at ambient or
cryogenic temperature

In general crumb rubber is manufactured from the discarded rubber by two methods
 Ambient grinding
 Cryogenic grinding
Ambient Crumb Rubber Modifier (CRM) is produced by grinding rubber to the required
sizes at room temperature. Cryogenic CRM is manufactured by freezing rubber using
liquid nitrogen and the embrittled rubber is then shattered to the required sizes using an
impact device. Ambient CRM and cryogenic CRM have different surface profiles. While
ambient CRM has porous surfaces and higher surface area, cryogenic CRM has smooth
and cracked surfaces resembling shattered glass. After the crumb rubber has been
manufactured, they are added to the binder either through a dry or wet process

Dry Process

In this process, crumb rubber is added to the aggregates prior to bitumen addition. In the
dry process, aggregates are heated to 200 to 210˚C, crumb rubber is added and the
mixture is homogenized by mixing for 15 seconds. Bitumen is later added to the
aggregate-rubber mixture at 140 to 160˚C. The interaction mechanisms are fundamentally
different for the dry and wet process. In the dry process, the crumb rubber particles act
more like inert fillers.

Wet Process

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In this process, crumb rubber is added to the binder at elevated temperatures to produce
CRMB which are then used with aggregates. In the wet process, bitumen is heated to
approximately 190˚C, crumb rubber is added and the interaction conditions are
maintained for 1 to 4 hours. In the wet process, because of the high temperature,
increased interaction takes place, leading to the crumb rubber acting as a part of the
binder

CRMB is manufactured in three grades for varying weather conditions

 CRMB – 50 is used for cold climates when bitumen minimum modification is
sufficient
 CRMB – 55 is used in moderate climatic conditions where moderate modification
is required
 CRMB – 60 is used in hot conditions where high modification is required to
withstand extra heat.
Table 3. Properties of different grades of CRMB

Characteristic CRMB – 50 CRMB – 55 CRMB – 60

Penetration < 70 < 60 < 50

Softening Point, ˚C, 50 55 60

(minimum)

Elastic Recovery at 50 50 50
15˚C, % (minimum)

Flash point, ˚C (min) 220 220 220

Difference in Softening 4 4 4
Point, ˚C (maximum)

Viscosity at 150˚C, 1–3 2–6 3–9

Poise

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Disadvantages of CRMB
 The bitumen rubber materials must be properly selected, designed and produced.
 Construction is more challenging as temperature requirements are more crucial
 It is not possible to stotre CRMB at elevated temperature without equipping
storage tanks with augurs.

Table 4. Selection Criteria for PMB, NRMB, CRMB based on Atmospheric

Conditions

Minimum Maximum Atmospheric Temperature, ˚C

Pavement
< 35 35 – 45 > 45
Temperature, ˚C

<10 PMB/NRMB-120, PMB/NRMB-70, PMB/NRMB-70,

CRMB-50 CRMB-55 CRMB-55

≤ 10 PMB/NRMB-70, PMB/NRMB-70, PMB/NRMB-40,

CRMB-50 CRMB-55 CRMB-60

10 PMB/NRMB-70, PMB/NRMB-70, PMB/NRMB-40,

CRMB-55 CRMB-55 CRMB-60

Natural Rubber Modified Bitumen

Natural rubber is an elastomer that was originally derived from milky latex found in the
sap of some plants. The purified form of natural rubber is the chemical Polyisoprene,
which can also be produced synthetically. Natural rubber is used extensively in many
applications and products, as is synthetic rubber. Natural rubber is an ideal polymer for
dynamic or static engineering applications. Natural rubber features:

 Excellent dynamic properties with a low hysteresis loss

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 Good low temperature properties

 Strong bonding to metal parts
 High resistance to tear and abrasion and ease of processing

The availability of the Natural Rubber (Latex) is enormous, as the rubber is a product
obtained from Latex (e.g., mattresses, gloves, swim caps, balloons) has become part of
daily life. If it is not recycled, its present disposal is either by land filling or by
incineration. Both the processes have certain impact on the environment

Properties of Natural Rubber

Natural rubber has been successfully used as an engineering material for many years. The
following range of properties shows just how versatile of a material natural rubber has
proven to be to engineers:

 Natural rubber combines high tensile and tear strength with an outstanding
resistance to fatigue
 Excellent green strength and tack
 has the ability to stick to itself and other materials, making bonded natural rubber
products easier to fabricate
 Exhibits excellent dynamic properties with a low hysteresis which leads to low
heat generation
 Adjustable hardness from very soft to very hard (ebonite)
 Appearance and colour ranges from translucent (soft) to black (hard)
 Compounded to meet nearly any mechanical requirement
 The ability to be electrically insulating or fully conductive
 Protect, insulate and sealing properties
 Absorb vibration and silence noise
 Available in any surface roughness and shape

To achieve the specific properties required for a given product, raw natural rubber has to
be compounded using ingredients such as carbon black, anti-degradants, softeners and a
vulcanization system.

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Polyisoprene

One of the most well-known natural polymers is Polyisoprene, or natural rubber. Ancient
Mayans and Aztecs harvested it from the hevea tree and used it to make waterproof boots
and the balls which they used to play a game similar to basketball. It is what we call an
elastomer, that is, it recovers its shape after being stretched or deformed. Normally, the
natural rubber is treated to give it crosslink's, which makes it an even better elastomer.
Polyisoprene is diene polymer, which is a polymer made from a monomer containing two
carbon-carbon double bonds. Like most diene polymers, it has a carbon-carbon double
bond in its backbone chain. Polyisoprene can also be made by "Ziegler-Natta
polymerization". This is a rare example of a natural polymer that we can make almost as
well as nature does.

Waste Plastic Modified Bitumen

The use of waste plastic, mainly polyethylene in the production of bitumen by blending
waste plastic show reduction of permanent deformation like rutting and cracking of the
pavement top layer. The field tests show resistance to the stress and prove that use of
plastic as additive will improve the life of the roads and helps in finding the solution for
environmental problems. The plastics used in PET bottles, disposal glasses, handbags,
and covers of various appliances soften up at 160°C, a solution is to use waste plastic in
such a manner that it gets coated over by an aggregate via heating (140–160°C). Plastic
bags are made from one of three basic types of polyethylene (PE), that is, high-density
polyethylene (HDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), and linear low-density
polyethylene (LLDPE). The use of modified bitumen with the addition of processed
waste plastic of about 5%–10% by weight of bitumen helps in substantially improving
the Marshall stability, fatigue, life strength, and other required properties of bituminous
concrete mix, which improves the durability and pavement performance with marginal
saving in bitumen usage. The process is environment friendly. The use of waste plastics
in the manufacture of roads and laminated roofing also helps to consume large quantity of
waste plastics. Thus, these processes are socially highly relevant and give better
infrastructure.

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Advantages
 Application of plastic with bitumen pavement construction enhances life and
reduces roughness also make financially sound and environmentally obliging.
 use of waste plastic, mainly polyethylene in the production of bitumen by
blending waste plastic show reduction of permanent deformation like rutting and
cracking of the pavement top layer.
 Improved Marshall Stability value give better strength of road.
 Enhanced resistance towards percolation of rain water in pavement and no water
storage on pavement leads reduction in stripping and potholes.
 Increase better bonding of the mix thus reduces voids in aggregate and a reduced
amount of rutting.
 The load sustainable quality of pavement helps to fulfill today’s need of increased
road transport.

3. LITERATURE REVIEW
Vasavi Swetha. et al. (2015) In India the remnants of products of natural rubber latex are
stockpiled every year often uncontrollable causing severe environmental and other socio
economic negative recycled in a better way so that it is helpful for the future. Many
studies have been done to find other alternative material to use as modifiers in bitumen
mixes on the improvement of its properties and highway quality. Studies still today
mainly focused on mechanical and physical characteristics of rubberized mixtures in
which balloon rubber is used either as alternative to natural aggregates or as additive. In
this research Natural Rubber latex (in the form of balloons) has been used as bitumen
modifier. Bitumen when compared to the rubberized bitumen is bit sensitive when
exposed to traffic load and temperature. The Rubberized bitumen formed reduces
permanent deformations due to overload on the road and thus unaffected by the changes
in atmospheric temperature and improves skid resistance. Rubber increases resistance to
flow of bitumen at higher temperature and improves the resistance to brittle fracture at
low temperature. The upper surface layer of the pavement has been made of rubberized
bituminous mixtures. Rheological characteristics of rubberized bitumen as well as basic

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properties of the implemented, rubberized bituminous mixture are presented. The

behaviors of the two modifiers were investigated by comprehensive laboratory testing
and evaluation. It was observed that the addition of natural rubber gave better overall
performance in the bituminous mixes. Thus, this shows natural rubber may contribute
toward better flexible roads in the future. The above properties increase the service life of
rubberized roads in many cases to more than hundred percent when compared to that of
bituminous roads. Thus modified rubber bitumen of roads will combine savings with
safety.

SlviiaAngelone et al. (2015) Reported that reuse of plastic waste on asphalt

mixtures. Now days, the disposal of plastic waste is an issue of major concern worldwide
because of its considerable volume and growth. An option to tackle this problem is to
recycle this waste. This alternative reduces the quantity of net discards, conserves both
material and energy and provides a comparatively simple way to make a substantial
reduction in the overall volume of solid waste. The purpose of this study is to investigate
an environmentally friendly approach about the influence of recycling different
percentages of urban and rural plastic waste by adding the mina dry process on an asphalt
mixture, through a comparative laboratory study .Generally the addition of RPE from silo
bags improves the mixture performance over the control mixture. Flake form was slightly
better than pelletones. Regarding the addition of polypropylene pellets, the results are
positive, the properties decrease as adding content increases and the values of the
parameters analyzed showed a mixture of lower quality than the control one. Preliminary
results show the possibility of dispose these residues in pavements. Based on the results,
it can be considered that the mixture with an addition of 2% SBF has better performance.
Regarding production costs of mixtures employing SBF achieves a significant reduction.
In conclusion, an asphalt mixture with addition of recycled plastics with improved
physical and mechanical characteristics could be achieved in the laboratory as well as
provide a sustainable solution at the disposal of such waste, meeting the main objective
raised.

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Kintali Sai Nanda Kishore et al. ( 2015) In this research Natural Rubber latex (in the form
of balloons) has been used as bitumen modifier. Proper blending of bitumen with Natural
Rubber in fixed proportion confers good elastic recovery to the blend. Incorporation of 2-
4% natural rubber into bitumen thus improves the property of the later substantially. The
Rubberized bitumen formed minimizes permanent deformations due to overload on the
road and thus unaffected by the changes in atmospheric temperature and improves skid
resistance. Rubber increases resistance to flow of bitumen at higher temperature and
improves the resistance to brittle fracture at low temperature. Bitumen is sensitive to rate
of traffic load and temperature susceptibility. The behaviours of the two modifiers were
investigated by comprehensive laboratory testing and evaluation. It was observed that the
addition of natural rubber gave better overall performance in the bituminous mixes. Thus,
this shows natural rubber may contribute toward better flexible roads in the future. The
above properties increase the service life of rubberized roads in many cases to more than
hundred percent when compared to that of bituminous roads. Thus, Rubberization of
roads will combine savings with safety.

Mojtabaghasemi et al. (2013) In this study, the efficiency of bitumen and asphalt
mixtures modified with crumb rubber (CR) and recycled glass powder (RGP) is
evaluated. From an environmental point of view, the application of RGP in asphalt
mixtures is considered beneficial since it prevents accumulation of waste glass in the
natural environment.
Rheological and mechanical properties of modified bitumen samples were investigated by
laboratory methods such as bitumen conventional tests and dynamic shear rheometer
(DSR), and also by asphalt mixture performance tests including Marshall stability,
indirect tensile strength (ITS), compressive strength, and indirect tensile stiffness
modulus. The results showed that the application of RGP in place of CR has no negative
impact on the efficiency of bitumen and asphalt mixtures and even improves their
engineering properties except for the toughness index (TI). Moreover, a modification with
5% CR and 5% RGP in asphalt mixtures results in the best overall performance.

Szabolcs Biro-Bence Fazekas (2005) Reported that Asphalt rubber and rubberized
asphalt samples were produced using various available, public recipes and their
properties were compared to different laboratory and bitumen terminal / refinery
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produced linear and radial type of styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymer (SBS),

SBS-polyphosphoric acid (PPA), ethylene-vinyl-acetate (EVA) and Elvaloy modified
bitumen.
It was found that an appropriately designed and manufactured asphalt rubber
binder can replace SBS, SBS-PPA or EVA, Elvaloy modified bitumen. However it
should be considered that the main objective is probably not this but to increase
utilization of rubber modified bitumen versus common non-modified bitumen. certain
conclusions was made by them they are Polymer-bitumen compositions were
manufactured both in the laboratory and in bitumen terminals. The objective was to be
practical and evaluate the samples according to standard procedures. This project has
provided some insight in the performance of modified binders, and the following main
conclusions were made: The rubberized bitumen (10wt% fine rubber) had similar
softening point to the laboratory lin-SBS modified bitumen but the penetration was
significantly lower. If SBS needs to be replaced this might need to be taken into
consideration. Polyphosphoric acid did not affect aging, the samples showed similar
results to linear SBS modified bitumen. All crumb rubber containing binders (asphalt
rubber, rubberized bitumen, hybrid- 1, hybrid-2) resulted in very high cold performance.
The reason is definitely connected to elastic rubber particles. All crumb rubber containing
samples (especially asphalt rubber) exhibited superior aging performance compared to
other modified bitumen. Linear and radial SBS resulted very similar aging characteristic.
Since the molecular chains of both SBS are not fully saturated they were more sensitive
to oxygenation / aging than the crumb rubber containing samples.

J.S.Chen et al. (2002) This paper reports the development of a procedure to evaluate
and optimize a polymer modified asphalt(PMA). Two asphalt cement sand two styrene
butadiene styrene(SBS) copolymers were mixed to concentration levels.
The engineering properties and morphologies of the binder s were investigated
using a dynamic shear rheometer, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and other
rheological techniques. The morphology of the PMA was characterized by the SBS
concentration and the microstructure of the copolymer. Polymer modification increased
the elastic responses and dynamic moduli of asphalt binders. In this study, SBS was

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shown to improve the rheological properties of the asphalt binder due to the formation of
a polymer network in the binder. This network forms in two stages :at low polymer
concentrations, the SBS acts as a dispersed polymer and does not significantly affect
properties; at higher concentrations, local SBS networks begin to form and are
accompanied by a sharp increase in the complex modulus, softening point
temperatures, and toughness. This two-stage formation is important to the determination
of the optimal amount of SBS. After the critical network begins to form, increases in
polymer content are accompanied by less significant property increases. This suggests
that the optimum content for SBS modification is the one required for the formation of a
network . Adding SBS to asphalt was shown to improve all aspects of pavement
performance. The optimum SBS content may also depend on asphalt and polymer
sources. The difference in softening point temperature at 2°C was found to be suitable as
a monitor of the stability of a polymer-modified asphalt.

Elkholy et al. (2018) The aim of this research is to study the rheological behavior of
modified sulfur asphalt binder to predict the major distresses that could occur in hot
mixed asphalt (HMA) pavement such as rutting, and cracking. They used DMA to
characterize the aging of asphalt binder. He estimate the critical temperature, Tc from the
cross-over temperature at which G″ equals G′ at a frequency of 10 rad/s and chosen as a
criterion to assess the advancement of hardening (aging). DMA was found to be efficient
and reliable in assessing the fatigue and healing characteristics of asphalt mastic and
HMA mixtures, and evaluating the rate of damage accumulation in mastics in the studies
performed. The temperature sensitivity on asphalt binders can be examined by
performing temperature sweep tests. Temperature sweep tests on an asphalt binder
approximate a temperature at which it will satisfy the rutting factor specified by
the Superpave. DMA was found to be an efficient tool to perform dynamic mechanical
properties of biomodified asphalt binders, they have performed temperature sweep tests
to obtain the set points (the temperature at which storage modulus, G′ = loss
modulus, G″) of emulsified asphalt binders. The temperature susceptibility of selected
asphalt binders under short-term and long term aged conditions was predicted in the
study performed by by using a dynamic shear rheometer (DSR). In this study, asphalt

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binder was substituted, by a ratio reached to 40%, with modified sulfur. The rheological
properties of the prepared mixtures were studied using DMA at which temperature sweep
test was conducted from – 40 °C to 80 °C on sulfur asphalt binder to study the behavior
of the mixture at high and low temperatures using these parameters complex
modulus G*, G*/sindelta (Rutting factor) and tan δ. In addition, the conventional tests
including softening point, penetration, and ductility were conducted. As well as
the rotational viscosity of the mixtures was measured in temperature range of 20–150 °C.

Kamal et al. (2016) Laboratory investigations were carried out in terms of resistance
against rutting and assessing resilient modulus of Crumb Rubber Modified
Mixes(CRMM) and conventional mixes (60/70 pen) at varying temperatures (55, 40, and
25 °C) and stress levels (500, 300 and 100 KPa). The specimens were tested using UTM
(5P) and a comparison of the rutting resistance and resilient modulus (MR) of both the
mixes were made. CRMM showed better performance in terms of rutting resistance and
increased resilient modulus compared to that of conventional mixes (CM) under same
stress and temperature conditions. The results showed that Crumb Rubber Modified
mixes showed better performance with lesser accumulated strains at all the tested
temperatures and stress levels. Resilient Modulus of CRMM mixes showed higher values
to that of the Conventional mixes at all temperatures and loading conditions. Overall
performance of CRMM was better than that of the conventional mixes in terms of
resisting against rutting and higher resilient modulus.

Mohd Ezree Abdullah et al. (2017) The objectives of this study are to investigate the
engineering properties of the asphalt mixtures containing waste plastic at different
percentages i.e. 4%, 6%, 8%, and 10% by weight of bitumen. The experimental tests
performed in the study were stability, tensile strength, resilient modulus and dynamic
creep test. Results showed that the mixture with 4% plastic has the highest stability
(184kN). However, the stability slightly decreases with the increase of plastic additive.
On the other hand, the highest tensile strength among the modified asphaltic concrete is
1049kPa (8% plastic added). The modified asphalt mixture with 8% plastic has the

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highest resilient modulus, which is 3422 MPa (25°C) and 494Mpa (40°C). Where the
highest creep modulus recorded is 73.30Mpa at 8% plastic added. It can be concluded
that the addition of 8% plastic gave the highest value properties of asphalt mixture.
Finally, it can be said that 8% plastic is the optimum value adding.

Nimisha et al. (2018) The aim of the study is to investigate the effect of Crumb rubber as
modifier in various proportions in bitumen and also compare the Marshall Test properties
of plain and modified bitumen at various proportions of crumb rubber as a modifier. The
experimental result on bitumen modified by the addition of crumb rubber at 5,10,15,20
and 25% of the weight of the bitumen showed that softening point increases gradually as
the rubber-content increases. The softening points of bitumen are almost linear with the
addition of crumb-rubber. This shows that the bitumen become less susceptible to
temperature changes as content of crumb-rubber waste increased. The ductility value
decreases as the rubber content increases. Maximum stability value at 0% modifier is
obtained at 4.5 % bitumen content (OBC). The obtained maximum stability value is
1262.7 kg. The Marshall stability increases as the rubber content increases up to 15%
modifier and starts to decrease as rubber content increases. Thus the maximum stability is
obtained at 15% modifier which is the optimum modifier content. The maximum stability
obtained is 1839.15 kg which is 1.45 times greater than the plain bitumen.

P. R. Nimisha et al. (2018) The current study presents a laboratory experiment using CR
recycled from discarded vehicle tiresas additives in hot mix asphalt (HMA). CR was
added using the dry process technique. Three rubber sizes were used with the following
measurement: 0.15, 0.425, and 1.18mm. CR was added 2% of the weight of total
aggregates. Bitumen80/100 penetration was used throughout the experiment. The effect
of CR size on the mixture was investigated in terms of resilient modulus, indirect tensile
strength (ITS), stability and dynamic creep. Experimental results revealed that the four
engineering properties decreased when CR was added to HMA and when CR size was
increased. However, the increased CR size similarly increased the permanent deformation
values. The data analysis showed that 0.15mm CR is the most effective material for
asphalt mixture because of the partial interaction between rubber particles and bitumen.

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4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Fig shows the relationship between stability and percentage of plastic. The stability of 4%
plastic is the highest (i.e., 184kN), and it slightly decreases with the increase of plastic
addition. A large gap between the stability of the conventional asphalt mixture and the
plastic modified asphaltic concrete is observed (i.e., more than 100%). Stability verifies
the performance of the asphalt mixture under loading. The results showed that plastic can
increase the stability of the asphalt mixture up to certain percentages and after that it will
decrease.

Fig 6: Stability v/s Plastic (%)

Resilient modulus

Fig shows the results of different percentage plastic to resilient modulus at different
temperatures. A similar trend is observed for both temperatures. The resilient modulus
increases with the increase of the plastic until it reaches the optimum plastic content. The
resilient modulus then decreases with further increase of plastic. Modified asphalt
mixture with 8% plastic has the highest resilient modulus for both 25 and 40°C
temperatures, which is almost double from the conventional asphalt mixture, that is,
3422MPa for 25°C and 494Mpa for 40°C. In addition, 4% plastic has the lowest resilient

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modulus, that is, 69% and 51% lower than the conventional asphalt mixture for 25 and
40°C temperatures.

Fig. 7: Resilient Modulus v/s Plastic (%)

Dynamic creep

The dynamic creep test result is presented in the Fig. Dynamic creep test is repeated on
the asphaltic concrete and causes the development of rutting. The bar chart in Figure 5
shows that the creep modulus increases with the increased percentage of plastic until 8%
of plastic and then decreases. The highest creep modulus is 73.30 Mpa with 8% of
plastic. The lowest creep modulus is 24.92 Mpa with 4% plastic, which is 5% lower than
the conventional asphalt mixture. Recycling of plastic bags is useful to reduce permanent
deformation in the form of rutting and reduce low temperature cracking of pavement
surfacing

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Fig. 8: Dynamic Creep v/s Plastic (%)

Accumulated Strain

Fig. 9: Accumulated Strains for Conventional Mix (CM) and Crumb Rubber Modified
Bitumen (CRMB)

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Resilient Modulus

Fig. 10: Resilient Modulus for Conventional Mix (CM) and Crumb Rubber Modified
Bitumen (CRMB)

It can be observed from Fig. that CRMB mix showed less accumulated strain at all
temperatures and stress level advocating better performance against permanent
deformation and rutting. Accumulated strains of CRMB mix was about 55% less than
that of the conventional mix (CM) at extreme stress level of 500 Kpa and at a temperature
of 55 ˚C.

Marshall stability
Stability value increases with bitumen content initially and then decreases. Maximum
stability value at 0% modifier is obtained at 4.5 % bitumen content (OBC). The obtained
maximum stability value is 1262.7 kg. The Marshall stability increases as the rubber
content increases up to 15% modifier and starts to decrease as rubber content increases.
Thus the maximum stability is obtained at 15% modifier which is the optimum modifier
content. The maximum stability obtained is 1839.15 kg which is 1.45 times greater than
the plain bitumen.

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Fig 8: Variation of Marshall stability with bitumen content at various % of crumb-

rubber

5. CONCLUSIONS

 The sulphur modified binder is observed to possess superior viscoelastic and other
rheological characteristics in case of the aged binders also.
 The sulphur modified binder is found to satisfy the physical property requirements.
 The polymer coated aggregate bitumen mix forms better material for flexible
pavement construction as the mix shows higher Marshall Stability value and
suitable Marshall Coefficient.
 Plastic roads would be a boon for India’s hot and extremely humid climate, where
temperatures frequently cross 50°C and torrential rains create havoc, leaving most
of the roads with big potholes.
 The use of waste plastics and crumb rubber for flexible pavement is one of the best
methods for easy disposal of waste plastics.
 The coating of plastics reduces the porosity, absorption of moisture and improves
soundness. These processes are eco friendly and socially highly relevant, giving
better infrastructure.

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 The addition of waste plastic modifies the properties of bitumen. When compared
to standard results the modified bitumen shows good result.
 Plastic has property of absorbing sound, which also help in reducing the sound
pollution of heavy traffic.
 The waste plastics thus can be put to use and it ultimately improves the quality and
performance of road. Total material cost of the project is reduced by 7.99%.
 Crumb Rubber Modified mixes showed better performance with lesser
accumulated strains at all the tested temperatures and stress levels.
 Resilient Modulus of CRMM mixes showed higher values to that of the
Conventional mixes at all temperatures and loading conditions.
 Overall performance of CRMM was better than that of the conventional mixes in
terms of resisting against rutting and higher resilient modulus.
 The highest tensile strength among the modified asphaltic concrete is 1049kPa
with 8% plastic added.
 Modified asphalt mixture with 8% plastic added is the highest resilient modulus
for both 25°C and 40°C temperatures which is 3422 MPa for 25°C and 494 Mpa
for 40°C. Where the highest creep modulus is 73.301Mpa with 8% of plastic
added.
 Since 8% plastics added give the highest value for tests, it can be conclude that 8%
plastic added is the optimum value.
 In bituminous concrete pavement, Crumb-rubber gives the Marshall stability value
of 1839.1 kg for 4.5% bitumen by using 15% of crumb rubber with bitumen mix
which is 1.45 times greater than the Marshall stability value of conventional
bitumen mix.
 Adding CR decreases resilient modulus values compared with the conventional mix.
Increasing rubber size decreased the resilient modulus for the same rubber content
 Stability decreased as CR size increased

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REFERENCES

 Szabolcs Biro-Bence Fazekas, 2005, “Asphalt rubber versus other modified

bitumens”, Journal of materials in civil engineering © ASCE / 2005, 26(1): 167-
174.
 J.-S. Chen. 2002, “Evaluation and Optimization of the Engineering Properties of
Polymer Modified Asphalt”, Journal of materials in civil engineering, ASCE
132(11): 880-887.
 SilviaAngelone et al. 2015, “Re use of plastic waste in asphalt mixtures”
Journal of materials in civil engineering, ASCE 138(4): 430-435.
 Mojtabaghasemi et al. 2013, “Performance improvement of a crumb rubber
modified bitumen using recycled glass powder” Journal of materials in civil
engineering , ASCE 12(3):177-185.
 M.A. Kamal S.Shahid, M.U.Arshid, I. Hafeez, “ Performance and Comparison of
Crumb Rubber Modified and Conventional Mixes under Varying Temperature
and Stress Levels” Technical Journal, University of Engineering and Technology
(UET) , Vol. 21 No. II-2016
 Mohd Ezree Abdullah, “Effect of Waste Plastic as Bitumen Modified in Asphalt
Mixture” ISCEE 2017
 S A Elkholy, A M M Abd Rahman, M El-Shafie, Z L Abo Shanab, 2018 “
Physics and Rheological Properties of Modified Sulphur Asphalt Binder”.
 Nimisha, Muhammed shahid, Krishna priya K, Muhnis Mohammed, Raveena
Jobbi , “Experimental Studies on the Modified Bituminous Mixes Using Crumb
Rubber ”IRJET 2018
 IRC-SP 53-2010 “Guidelines on Use of Modified Bitumen in Road
Construction”, Indian Road Congress, Delhi.

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