Enhanced Acceptance Specification of Asphalt Binder to Drive Sustainability in the Paving Industry

Testing small amounts of extracted and recovered asphalt binder as used in construction allows for the acceptance of materials in accordance with traffic and climate requirements. This approach facilitates the sustainable use of resources and thus prepares the paving industry for the true circular economy. Oscillatory, creep, and failure tests in a rheometer are compared for the performance grading of 32 asphalt binders extracted and recovered from real-world contract samples. Films 8 mm in diameter and 0.5 mm thick were tested from 35 to -5 & DEG;C in dynamic shear, followed by shear creep at 0 and 5 & DEG;C, and finally in tertiary tensile creep at 15 & DEG;C. The enhanced protocol uses a very small amount of material in contrast to current methods, yet it provides comparable results. Phase angle measurements appear to be optimal for performance grading, but further field study is required to determine if additional binder properties such as stiffness and/or failure strain would be required for the control of cracking.

Automated summary

Testing small amounts of extracted and recovered asphalt binder in accordance with traffic and climate requirements can facilitate the paving industry's transition towards a true circular economy. The enhanced protocol uses a very small amount of material yet provides comparable results, with phase angle measurements appearing to be optimal for performance grading. Further field study is needed to determine if additional binder properties are required for the control of cracking.