Evaluating the Use of Engineered Additives to Enhance the Performance Properties of Asphalt Binders and Mixtures

About the project:

Modification of asphalt binders is not a new concept and has become progressively more common over the past several decades. Currently, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) primarily relies on Styrene-Butadiene-Styrene (SBS) modified asphalt binders to produce and place asphalt mixtures that resist climate- and load-induced distresses on relatively higher-volume roads and facilities. Hybrid Rubber Modified Asphalt (HRMA) is an innovative-engineered additive derived from ground tire rubber (GTR), elastomeric SBS polymers, and additive technologies. With the HRMA technology showing promising results when used in other states, this technology may provide VDOT with another alternative to modify asphalt binders and produce mixtures with a similar or better expected performance when compared to the performance of typical SBS modified asphalt mixtures. This study will assess the feasibility of using HRMA mixtures through the construction of HRMA field trials in Virginia. This study will document and evaluate the constructability, laboratory performance, and initial field performance of the produced HRMA mixtures compared alongside with VDOT typical control mixes. A successful conclusion will provide VDOT with another sound alternative to modify asphalt binders.

Project Team

Principal Investigators

Co-Principal Investigators