MORPHOLOGY AND RHEOLOGY OF PP AND LLDPE MODIFIED BITUMENS AND THEIR EFFECT ON ASPHALT MIX PROPERTIES

The deterioration of flexible bound bituminous road layers in the form of creep deformation or fatigue cracking is caused by a number of contributing factors. Of primary importance are the influences of traffic volume, axle loading, mix volumetrics, material properties and environmental conditions. Whenever it is economically viable, polymer modified bitumens (PMBs) have become widely accepted as the binders of choice for the construction of highly durable asphalt mix road surfacings. Although extensive work exists in the literature on characterizing the rheology and chemistry of bitumens and PMBs, there remains the need to better understand the relationships between polymer type, chemistry, morphology and rheology of the resultant PMBs. In this study, 80/100pen grade bitumen was modified with up to 3% polymer content using two polymer types, namely linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) and polypropylene (PP

Investigation on the effect of phase segregation on the mechanical properties of polymer modified bitumen using analytical and morphological tools

The mechanical strength of polymer modified bituminous mix which is evaluated in terms of stiffness reflects the deformation behaviour of bituminous mixture. The stiffness of the binder strongly depends on its chemical composition besides aggregate structure of the bituminous mixture. Compatibility of polymer with the base bitumen is considered as major strength enhancing factor in the case of polymer modified bituminous mix. To relate the factors affecting the mechanical strength of the binder a new approach in this research study was adopted in order to relate the compatibility of 80/100 pen bitumen with polymer Polypropylene (PP) using analytical and morphological tools. Morphological tools like Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) were used to study the changes due to the difference in compatibility of polymer with bitumen. It was observed that the presence of phase segregated layer as observed by AFM surface morphology was considered as the main strength enhancing factor of the bituminous mix. While the presence of lamella as observed in TEM scanned images of PP PMB revealed that addition of polymer forms localized network in the phase segregated layer which induces the stiffening effect in PMB. From the chromatographic method (SARA) analytical analysis Saturate, Aromatics, Resin and Asphaltene fractionate were determined in the blend. It was observed that chemical composition of the blend also has a profound effect on the rheological properties and on the morphology of polymer modified bituminous (PMB) blend. It was concluded that PP PMB gets benefited by phase segregated layer in the blend when the polymer concentration was kept below 3% as it sufficiently enhances the mechanical strength of the PMB binder as observed by dynamic creep results

Used engine oil as alternate binder for buildings – a comparative study

At present, global warming and climate change are the major challenges of foremost significance that substantially influence the earth's environment. The construction sector, especially buildings, is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Conventional building materials such as clay bricks and cement are considered as environmentally unfriendly due to enormous emissions during their production. This paper investigates the utilisation of used engine oil (UEO) as an alternative to the usual cementitious binders. Prototypes were produced from UEO to optimise the compositions and conditions of the process and tested for compressive and flexural strength, permeability and water absorption, respectively, following the ASTM standards. Furthermore, environmental and weathering aspects were also demonstrated to ensure the feasibility of the product. Samples constituting 5% by weight UEO have shown significant results for flexural stress, compressive strength and water absorption and also passed the permeability test. Moreover, 5% of UEO samples have negligible effect in strength for accelerated weathering conditions as demonstrated by the ultraviolet test. Conclusively, UEO can be used as a replacement to conventional binding materials such as a clay bricks and cement. Sustainable development and waste management are the hallmarks of this research. </jats:p

RHEOLOGICAL, MORPHOLOGICAL, ENGINEERING AND PERFORMANC PROPERTIES OF POLYMER MODIFIED BITUMINOUS MIXTURE

Several studies were conducted to improve the performance of bituminous concrete mixture in order to minimize the pavement distresses namely permanent deformation and fatigue on the highway pavements. The introduction of polymer modified binder as bituminous paving material was considered as a promising solution in response to increasing traffic wheel loads and changes associated with environmental conditions. Although extensive work was done on polymer modified bitumen, but still there is a need to investigate the modification in terms of their rheological and morphological behavior. The investigation presented herein, is focused on the performance characteristics of the modified binder as revealed by rheological behavior. Rheology of the polymer modified binder is studied in context with its chemical and morphological analysis. This research study is split in two parts. The first part deals with the complete characterization of virgin 80/100 pen bitumen along with polymer modified bitumen (PP & LLDPE). All characterization tests were carried out at ambient temperature and on unaged binders. Only the test for rheological behavior using DSR was conducted on aged and unaged binders. The second part of this study deals with the preparation of specimen for performance testing. All specimens for performance tests were prepared at optimum binder content obtained from Marshall Mix design procedure. For fatigue testing additional plus and minus optimum binder concentration was used

An Attempt to Maximize the Use of Used Cooking Oil and Fly Ash in the Production of Green Roofing Tile

This study introduces a novel attempt of utilizing used cooking oil (UCO) and fly ash in the production of green roofing tile, namely UCO-GRT. UCO was utilized as an alternative binder to fully replace the cement and clay, while fly ash was used as a fine aggregate instead of virgin sand. This can maximize the percentage of waste substitution in the manufacturing process, consequently reducing the waste disposal issues encountered in Malaysia. The optimization process was carried out to investigate the optimal manufacturing parameters, by considering the curing duration, the composition of UCO and fly ash, and the composition of catalyst incorporated. The mechanical properties of UCO-GRT produced, including density, dry and wet transverse strength, percentage of water absorption, and permeability have been investigated. Findings reveal that the utilization of catalysed UCO and fly ash solely in the production of roofing tiles is feasible. The optimized UCO-GRT fulfilled the basic requirements of a high-profile roofing tile as per ASTM standards. The embodied carbon and embodied energy of the novel roofing tile were also studied and compared with the cementitious and clay roofing tiles