Rheological Evaluation of Asphalt Binder 50/70 Incorporated with Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles

Abstract

Research intends to improve the durability of asphalt binder and its performance related to rutting and fatigue life. Nanotechnology has been used in many sectors over the years, such as the chemical industry, automotive industry, medicine, and civil engineering. Asphalt binder modification with nanomaterials can improve rutting resistance and alleviate fatigue cracking of asphalt mixtures. In this study, titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles were mixed in a base asphalt binder of penetration grade 50/70 at rates of 0%, 3%, 4%, and 5% by weight of binder. The rheology of the blends was then studied through performance grade (PG), multiple stress creep recovery (MSCR), linear amplitude sweep (LAS), penetration test, softening point, and rotational viscosity. The results show that the addition of nanoparticles of titanium dioxide increases the fatigue life and resistance to permanent deformations and to the aging process.