State of the Art Review of Ageing of Bituminous Binders and Asphalt Mixtures: Ageing Simulation Techniques, Ageing Inhibitors and the Relationship between Simulated Ageing and Field Ageing

Abstract

Asphalt mixtures age during service in the field, primarily as the result of chemical changes in the bituminous binder phase. The ageing phenomenon changes the properties of the asphalt mixture, including the stiffness modulus, the resistance to deformation and the resistance to cracking, and it leads to surface weathering or erosion that often leads to pavement resurfacing. Consequently, many researchers have attempted to understand and to simulate the ageing of bituminous binders and asphalt mixtures in the laboratory. This review of bituminous binder and asphalt mixture ageing considers ageing simulation techniques, the effect of ageing on both bituminous binders and asphalt mixtures, the potential benefits of ageing inhibitors, and efforts to relate simulated laboratory ageing to observed field ageing. It is concluded that ageing has a significant effect on the properties of bituminous binders and asphalt mixtures, and that improved simulated ageing is important for comparing the effect of ageing on different materials and mixtures, as well as for quantifying the potential benefits of ageing inhibitors, which have generally been promising. It is also concluded that current ageing protocols are based on heat only, omitting the important contribution of solar radiation to the weathering and ageing of asphalt surfaces in the field. In the future, different simulated ageing protocols should be developed for binder and mixture samples. Similarly, a different ageing protocol is appropriate for understanding base-layer fatigue, compared to research on surface-layer weathering. Finally, it is concluded that a universal ageing protocol is unlikely to be found and that mixture- and climate-specific protocols need to be developed. However, given the importance of simulated ageing to asphalt researchers, the development of reliable, robust and calibrated laboratory ageing protocols is essential for the future.