Assessment of Asphalt Binders and Hot Mix Asphalt Modified with Nanomaterials

Abstract

In the recent times, asphalt binder modification has emerged an inevitable alternative in the paving industry to ensure better performing pavements against the distresses caused by common factors such as; moisture susceptibility and high-temperature sensitivity of asphalt binders. Nanomaterials, as asphalt-modifiers, have proved to be the most promising materials in the industry owing to their higher active surface area and small particle size. This study was devoted to assessing the modification influence of three different types of nanomaterials, including nano-Bentonite, nano-CaCO₃, and ZycoTherm, on the properties of asphalt binder and HMA. Conventional and rheological tests on asphalt binders, as well as, Marshall mix design and modified Lottman test on laboratory-prepared HMA specimens were conducted in order to signify the influence of nanomodification. The research findings suggested that nanomaterials can potentially enhance the high-temperature susceptibility resistance, storage stability, and rheological properties of asphalt binder samples. Mix design results revealed that the optimum binder contents decreased and Marshall stabilities were slightly improved with nanomodification. Moreover, the modified Lottman test results indicated that 0.1 % of ZycoTherm increased the TSR by 22 % as compared to the control mixture that infers its efficiency in terms of improving the HMA resistance against the moisture-induced damages.