Influence of asphalt solvents on the rheological and mechanical properties of cold-mixed epoxy asphalt

Cold-mixed epoxy asphalt (CEA) is mixed and cured at room temperature, requiring dissolving asphalt before preparation. It is essential to choose suitable asphalt solvents to prepare CEA with desirable performances. This paper prepared CEAs with five kinds of asphalt solvents, including diesel, biodiesel, 1,2-dichloropropane, trichloroethylene, and solvent naphtha. The rheological properties of the CEA were studied by Brookfield viscometry and bending beam rheometry, then tensile tests and dynamic mechanical analysis were performed to study the mechanical properties. The morphology of the tensile fracture profiles of CEA was observed through scanning electron microscopy. Recommendations for selecting asphalt solvents are as follows: (1) the solubility of the solvent should ensure the formation of sea-island structure in CEA; (2) the solvent should have a high boiling point and moderate solubility to ensure CEA desirable antiaging ability. As a result, biodiesel is recommended and preferentially adopted. According to the ion chromatography, the volatilization of solvents mainly occurred within 48 h during CEA curing, and nearly 60 % of solvents were sealed in the CEA, participating in the formation of the cross-linking network.

Automated summary

This study compared the performance of CEA prepared with five different asphalt solvents and found that biodiesel is the optimal choice. Additionally, approximately 60% of solvents were sealed in the CEA during curing, participating in the formation of the cross-linking network.