A.J.M. Schmets

First Observation of Blending-Zone Morphology at Interface of Reclaimed Asphalt Binder and Virgin Bitumen

One of the challenges in designing recycled asphalt mixtures with a high amount of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) is estimating the blending degree between RAP binder and added virgin bitumen. The extent of blending is crucial because asphalt concrete response is influenced by the final binder properties. This paper focuses on the evaluation of interaction and extent of blending between RAP binder and virgin bitumen by studying the microstructures of the blending zone with atomic force microscopy (AFM). AFM is used to probe the change of microstructural properties from a RAP binder and virgin bitumen to the blending zone of these two. Averaged microstructural properties have been observed in thin-film blends of RAP binder and pure bitumen. The morphology of the blending zone (spatial extent of about 50 μm) exhibits domains of a wide range of microstructure sizes (160 nm to 2.07 μm) and can be considered to be a completely blended new material that has been observed directly for the first time. The fully blended binder properties are found to be between those of the two individual binders, as could be inferred from the averaged microstructural properties derived from AFM images of the blending zone. This finding is also consistent with the results of mechanical tests by dynamic shear rheometer on the same materials. Finally, a design formula is proposed that relates the spatial dimensions of the blending zone to temperature and mixing time, which will eventually allow the results of this study to be extended from small-length scales up to the engineering level.

Turning Back Time: Rheological and Microstructural Assessment of Rejuvenated Bitumen

Countermeasures to the aging of bituminous asphalt binders is a highly important topic for service-life extension of asphalt in the field and for recycling old pavements into new structures with similar functional requirements as the original structure. Countermeasures are usually achieved by applying additives that restore the adhesive and mechanical properties of the original bituminous binder. The additives are commonly termed (asphalt) rejuvenators. This study examined the performance of two very distinct rejuvenating agents. The effectiveness of rejuvenators is usually measured by comparing the penetration and softening point of the rejuvenator-aged bitumen blend with reference values of the virgin binder. The study used a dynamic shear rheometer to evaluate the rejuvenating capabilities of the two additives. The microstructures of the virgin binder and the rejuvenated blends were obtained by atomic force microscopy. Subsequently, the rheological results were related to the microstructure morphologies. From the rheological experiments, both rejuvenators exhibited the desired softening and property-restoring performance. However, there was a strong difference in the amount of rejuvenator needed to achieve complete rejuvenation. By correlating rheology to the microstructural observations, the effects of the rejuvenators were found to be distinct at microscopic length scales: rejuvenation was achieved by distinct chemophysical mechanisms. One of the rejuvenators restored the virgin microstructure, whereas the other rejuvenator generated a new morphology. Thus, the study demonstrated that by combining rheological and microstructural techniques, the mechanism and performance of rejuvenation can be understood. This finding may help guide future designs and optimization of asphalt-rejuvenating agents.