An Experimental Study on Bitumen Properties Modified with Polypropylene Polymer from Waste Disposable Cups for Flexible Pavement Applications

Waste disposal, especially plastic waste, is of great concern worldwide due to its non-biodegradable nature. Because these wastes remain on Earth for thousands of years without any degradation or decomposition, they pose health, environmental, and social concerns and occupy valuable space. Also, the significantly higher axle load and traffic volume beyond design limits result in serious pavement deterioration problems. Consequently, incorporating these waste plastics into road construction may present environmental and engineering benefits. Thus, this investigation assesses the impact of including waste plastic cups as bitumen modifiers. Firstly, FTIR analysis was carried out in the laboratory on the waste modifier material showed it mainly comprised of polypropylene. Secondly, a study conducted on the physical features of bitumen with and without the modifier discovered that the modifier decreased the penetration, specific gravity, and ductility by 69.90%, 3.40%, and 42.60%, respectively, whereas it increased the softening point by 48.0%. Therefore, a substantial enhancement in temperature vulnerability and stability of the bitumen can be achieved by incorporating the modifier. Thirdly, the FTIR analysis conducted on the pure and modified bitumen showed the presence of extra new peaks in the structure of the modified bitumen. Thus, the features of this modified bitumen with increasing modifier content resulted from the chemical change in its structure. Finally, the One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) conducted at various bitumen contents revealed less than a 5% significant level, indicating that the modifier had a substantial impact on pure bitumen. The findings from this study present an vital reference for the improvement in hot mix asphalt properties as well as solid waste management and utilization

Development of Finite Element Response Model for Mechanistic - Empirical Design of Flexible Pavement

Abstract The focus of this work is to present a finite element method (FEM)-based program of the M-E design on MATLAB protocol. The response output generated at critical locations are presented. The results were then compared with those from a locally available program called 'NEMPADS' and a reasonable comparison were achieved