Effect of RAP Source on Compactability and Behavior of Cold-Recycled Mixtures in the Small Strain Domain

Abstract

Cold recycled materials (CRMs) are products of modern recycling techniques that are used in maintenance and rehabilitation of pavement structures with significant economical and environmental benefits. CRM mixes are produced at ambient temperature using bitumen emulsion or foamed bitumen as a binding agent, and the aggregate phase is composed mainly of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP). This paper investigated the compactability of two RAP sources and their effects on the behavior of CRM mixtures tested in the small strain domain. The compactability was studied using experimental results and the compressible packing model (CPM). Complex modulus tests of CRM mixtures were conducted, and the results were modeled using the Di Benedetto–Neifar (DBN) model. Findings showed that in CRM mixtures with the same gradation and formulation, one RAP source required almost half of the compaction energy of the other source to reach the design air voids content. The rheological analysis results highlighted the impact of the RAP source on the behavior of the CRM mixes in the small strain domain.