Abstract
Thermal cracking of asphalt pavements in cold regions necessitated the use of asphalt binders that can perform exceptionally well against coupled effects of heavy traffic loads and extreme cold weather conditions. The present study emphasized investigating the cracking resistance of Highly Elastic Asphalt Binders (HEBs) at intermediate and low temperature regimes by selecting two different binder grades (PG 52–28 and PG 64–22). Two different softening agents (bio-oil and paraffinic oil) were blended in High Polymer Modified Asphalt (HPMA) binders (7.5 % SBS polymer) to produce HEBs. The study assessed the activation energy (Ea) of HEBs to understand the temperature sensitivity across a wide temperature range. The intermediate temperature cracking properties were evaluated using Superpave fatigue parameter and Glover-Rowe (G-R) parameters. Further, Bending Beam Rheometer (BBR) and Asphalt Binder cracking Device (ABCD) tests were conducted to determine low-temperature cracking behavior. Results showed that softening agents can improve the resistance of HEBs against thermal cracking. BBR and ABCD results highlighted the superior abilities of bio-oil (BO) over paraffinic oil (PO) in providing enhanced flexibility and resilience against thermal stresses. Further, the study identified a strong correlation between activation energy and cracking performance parameters emphasizing the importance of thermal sensitivity and its relationship with the cracking resistance.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | 142404 |
| Journal | Construction and Building Materials |
| Volume | 490 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Sep 5 2025 |
| Externally published | Yes |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Civil and Structural Engineering
- Building and Construction
- General Materials Science