Towards Utilization of Ground Tire Rubber and Reclaimed Pavement Materials with Asphalt Binder: Performance Evaluation Using Essential Work of Fracture

Abstract Utilization of ground tire rubber (GTR) binder in combination with reclaimed asphalt pavements (RAP) binder can provide added benefits in terms of material, cost and environmental saving, and hence a promising step toward sustainable construction of pavements. The present study utilized essential work of fracture (EWF) principal to evaluate performance of a GTR binder blended with two different types of RAPs: RAP-A and RAP-S, having different rheological properties. The GTR binder was mixed with different percentages (0%, 15%, 25% and 40% by weight of virgin binder) of RAP-A and RAP-S. First, Superpave performance grade (PG) of different combinations of asphalt binders was determined in the laboratory. Thereafter, the EWF of binders was determined using a newly developed double edge notch tension (DENT) test. Further, the data obtained from the DENT test were used to estimate critical crack tip opening displacement (CTOD). The results showed that addition of RAP decreased fracture resistance of GTR binder. Addition of RAP-A resulted in a faster decrease in performance of GTR binder compared to RAP-S. It can be concluded that low percentage of RAP may be utilized with GTR binder. Further, analyses indicated that RAP sources and its quantity could have significant impact on performance of asphalt mixes.