The physical and rheological characteristics of modified asphalt binder with titanium dioxide R15

Abstract

The objectives of this study include determine the physical and rheological properties of the modified asphalt and also to examine the effectiveness of TiO2 in lowering the viscosity of the asphalt compared to control asphalt. Nano-titanium dioxide R15 of 2%, 4%, 6%, 8% and 10% by weight of asphalt has been incorporated into unaged 80/100 asphalt mix in order to improvise its performance. The asphalt modified and control were examine using penetration test, softening point test, storage stability test, dynamic shear rheometer test (DSR), rotational viscosity (RV) and rolling thin film oven test (RTFO). As a conclusion, the decrease in compaction and mixing temperature of modified asphalt compared to original asphalt shows an improvement in the viscosity of the asphalt. Through DSR, the nano-TiO2 modified asphalt does not degrade the performance grade when compared to control asphalt, where the values of complex modulus, G* does not differ much from each other for each of the concentration. This indicates that the modified asphalt is as competent as the original binder in resisting rutting at high temperature.