Influence of Multiple Modifications on the Fatigue Behavior of Bitumen and Asphalt Mixtures

Abstract

The study included six bitumens, one unmodified and five modified, and their corresponding asphalt mixtures. The first bitumen was the base bitumen and further five variants were made by the authors using the same base bitumen and different combinations of modifiers which included styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS), Fischer–Tropsch wax (FTW), ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), reactive elastomeric terpolymer (RET), and natural asphalt (NA). The influence on the fatigue life of bitumen and asphalt due to modification, bitumen rheology, preload, water storage, and aging was studied. A new temperature range was developed—the fatigue-relevant temperature range (FRTR) for specifying fatigue test temperatures for bitumen and asphalt. A new methodology that includes preload and water storage was also done to study the active adhesion behavior between bitumen and aggregates and its influence on fatigue life. Overall, modifications showed positive influence on the fatigue behavior of bitumen and asphalt. Variants E (SBS and RET) and F (SBS and NA) showed the greatest positive influence with an increase in the fatigue life by 500% and 210% for bitumen and 200% and 375% for asphalt respectively. With water storage, the fatigue life reduced by 500% for unmodified asphalt and in the range of 333–1350% for modified ones. Due to aging, the fatigue life reduced from 700% for unmodified and between 700% and 2500% for modified asphalt mixtures.