UTC 2022 Funding - Cycle 2 Research Projects

Project Number: CY2-LSU-06
Project Title: High-Polymer Asphalt Binder and Asphalt Mixture for Enhanced Durability and Cost-Effectiveness in Urban Transportation Infrastructure
Performing Institution: Louisiana State University
Principal Investigator: Mostafa Elseifi
Proposed Start and End Date: 10/01/2024 to 09/30/2025
Project Description: While traditional materials have performed satisfactorily across a wide range of roads in the past, road failures are now occurring at an accelerated rate. Increased traffic loading—encompassing axle loads, tire pressures, and the number of load passes—has exposed limitations in the performance of asphalt binders and mixtures. To address this growing challenge, the asphalt industry has shifted over the past 50 years toward using polymers as modifiers for asphalt binders, especially in pavements exposed to severe climatic conditions and heavy truck traffic.

More recently, researchers have developed polymer-modified asphalt with styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) content of 7–8% by weight of the binder, offering enhanced elasticity and potentially improved pavement performance compared to traditional polymer-modified asphalt. An experimental study by the Florida Department of Transportation compared three asphalt binder types: a neat asphalt binder, a conventional polymer-modified asphalt binder (3% SBS), and a high-polymer asphalt binder (6% SBS). Results demonstrated that mixtures prepared with the high-polymer asphalt binder exhibited greater fracture energy, indicating superior fracture resistance compared to mixtures using conventional polymer-modified asphalt or neat asphalt binders. Furthermore, accelerated pavement testing showed that polymer-modified asphalt mixtures significantly outperformed mixtures prepared with neat asphalt binders in terms of rutting resistance.

The ultimate goal of this study is to conduct a comprehensive laboratory evaluation of high-polymer modified asphalt binder and to assess the cost-effectiveness of this emerging class of asphalt binder as compared to conventional polymer-modified asphalt and neat asphalt binders. To this end, research activities will evaluate and compare the binder rheological, chemical, and aging characteristics of high-polymer asphalt, conventional polymer-modified asphalt, and neat asphalt binders. Based on the results of the binder study, researchers will evaluate the cracking, rutting, and moisture-damage resistances of asphalt mixtures prepared with high-polymer asphalt, conventional polymer-modified asphalt, and neat asphalt binders.
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