Evaluating Water Damage in Acrylic Polymer–Modified Cold Bituminous Emulsion Mixtures

Abstract

Currently, there is a global increase in the use of sustainable technologies in the construction of pavement systems. Cold bituminous emulsion mixture (CBEM) is a promising alternative to hot mix asphalt (HMA) that offers economic, environmental, and energy-saving advantages. However, CBEMs have high water content because of the requirement for prewetting water, in addition to water within the bitumen emulsion. This additional water content causes low early strength and reduces resistance to water damage. To address this, the current study aims to evaluate the influence of water on CBEMs which have been modified with ordinary portland cement (OPC) and an acrylic (AR) polymer, evaluating them in comparison with HMAs. Marshall stability and durability, assessed by means of water damage tests, will thus be used to evaluate the influence of water content for each mix. The acrylic polymer was incorporated into the bitumen emulsion prior to the preparation of CBEMs at various percentages ranging from 0% to 5% of residual bitumen weight. The results indicate that the introduction of OPC and AR generally improves water damage resistance. The CBEM with a mix of OPC and 1.25% AR gave the best performance, showing a 12% increase in resistance compared with HMA with conventional mineral filler (CMF) and a striking 109% increase in resistance compared with CBEM with OPC only.