Asphalt Design Using Recycled Plastic and Crumb-rubber Waste for Sustainable Pavement Construction

Abstract

The seasonal change in temperature and loading nature has a significant effect on asphalt behavior because of its visco-elastic nature. Several types of flexible pavement failure/distress occur due to this behavior of asphalt binder, among which rutting and fatigue cracks are very common. In this study, Low Density and High Density Polyethylene and Crumb rubber were used as additions to base bitumen (PG 64-10). Complex modulus (G∗) and phase angle (δ) obtained from Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR) are the basic perimeters used to evaluate the behavior of the binder in respect to rutting and fatigue cracking. It was concluded that Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE), High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), and Crumb Rubber (CR) modified binder showed significant improvement in rheological properties of the binder. Furthermore, recycling these municipal wastes will contribute to solving environmental problems in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia caused by the piling up of these wastes in dumpsites.