Durability assessment of bio-extended bituminous binders by rheological characterisation after long-term ageing

• The pursuit of sustainable road infrastructure is prompting extensive research into the utilization of bio-extended bituminous binders. This paper investigates the durability of bio-extended bituminous binders (both unmodified and polymer-modified) containing a plant-based bio-oil, aiming to assess their long-term performance. The research employed laboratory-scale tests and advanced rheological techniques to evaluate viscoelastic properties of the binders after long-term ageing. Accelerated ageing protocols were used to simulate prolonged exposure to environmental factors, including the Rolling Thin Film Oven Test (RTFOT) and Pressure Ageing Vessel (PAV) test. Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR) tests measured the shear modulus and phase angle of the binders under various conditions while Bending Beam Rheometer (BBR) tests measured the flexural creep stiffness at different low temperatures. Various performance indicators and specification parameters were analysed for the investigated binders regarding their resistance to both fatigue cracking at intermediate temperatures and thermal cracking at low temperatures.The results indicate that the bio-extended binders passed all the analysed criteria after RTFOT+PAV ageing. Using the investigated bio-oil in bituminous binders had largely a positive effect on the ΔTc and did not affect the standard performance low-temperature grade significantly. The bio-extended binders followed the same relationships between several durability-related performance indicators as the reference binders did. Certain slight negative effects could be noticed at low temperatures when the bio-oil content was high, but a further verification on the asphalt mixture scale will be necessary to assess if these effects are significant enough to impact the asphalt mixture performance in practical applications.

Ämnesord

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Samhällsbyggnadsteknik -- Infrastrukturteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Civil Engineering -- Infrastructure Engineering (hsv//eng)

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