Interpreting the effectiveness of antioxidants to increase the resilience of asphalt binders: A global interlaboratory study

The design and use of antioxidant additives to reduce or slow down the aging of asphalt binders can bring about tremendous benefits to the asphalt industry. Despite many isolated and scattered research efforts showing mixed results, the application of this science to engineering-based solutions has been limited due to variability in results and...

Do chemistry and rheology follow the same laboratory ageing trends in bitumen?

The ageing of bitumen has received great attention both from a chemical and rheological perspective due to its direct impact on asphalt performance. However, open questions with respect to the convergence of the synchronous ageing changes in rheology and chemistry of bitumen still exist. This paper addresses these alterations of chemistry and...

Towards an enhanced fatigue evaluation of bituminous mortars

The fatigue resistance, as a performance indicator, is of paramount importance for the selection and benchmarking of bituminous materials. The bituminous mortar can be considered as the medium that connects and envelopes the coarse aggregate skeleton, and hence will significantly influence the fatigue resistance at bulk-scale. Therefore this...

Exploring the oxidative mechanisms of bitumen after laboratory short- and long-term ageing

Understanding the fundamental mechanisms of oxidative ageing in bitumen is considered of paramount importance in order to take steps towards durable binders able to tackle distresses related to this phenomenon which deteriorates the asphalt performance. This paper focuses on the identification of the intermediate and final oxygenated products...

Experimental Validation of the Dual-Oxidation Routes in Bituminous Binders

Oxidative ageing in bituminous materials is considered to be one of the most important factors for distress types in road applications. The increasing interest in oxidative ageing has highlighted the need for a thorough understanding of the oxidation mechanisms at molecular level. This paper offers some insight in the validity of the proposed...

Experimental investigation of the oxidative ageing mechanisms in bitumen

Oxidative ageing in bituminous materials is considered one of the most important factors for distress types in road applications. This paper aims to offer insights into the validity of commonly held beliefs regarding the oxidation phases of ageing in bitumen, the fast- and the slow-rate phase, and explore the main oxidation products formed...

Experimental characterization of chemical and physical performance of epoxy modified bitumen

The increasing traffic load has led to the use of polymer modifiers in bituminous mixes in order to improve the performance and the durability of the pavement structures. Epoxy is a thermoset material which ensures enhanced fatigue performance and improved mechanical characteristics when used to modify bituminous materials. However, unlike...