Asphalt Mixture with Scrap Tire Rubber and Nylon Fiber from Waste Tires: Laboratory Performance and Preliminary M-E Design Analysis

Scrap tire rubber and nylon fiber are waste materials that could potentially be recycled and used to improve the mechanical properties of asphalt pavement. The objective of this research was to investigate the properties of scrap tire rubber and nylon fiber (R-F) modified warm mix asphalt mixture (WMA). The high-temperature performance was estimated by the Hamburg wheel-tracking testing (HWTT) device. The low-temperature cracking performance was evaluated by the disk-shaped compact tension (DCT) test and the indirect tensile strength (IDT) test. The stress and strain relationship was assessed by the dynamic modulus test at various temperatures and frequencies. The extracted asphalt binder was evaluated by the dynamic shear rheometer (DSR). Pavement distresses were predicted by pavement mechanistic-empirical (M-E) analysis. The test results showed that: (1) The R-F modified WMA had better high-temperature rutting performance. The dynamic modulus of conventional hot mix asphalt mixture (HMA) was 21.8%~103% lower than R-F modified WMA at high temperatures. The wheel passes and stripping point of R-F modified WMA were 2.17 and 5.8 times higher than those of conventional HMA, respectively. Moreover, the R-F modified warm mix asphalt had a higher rutting index than the original asphalt. (2) R-F modified WMA had better cracking resistance at a low temperature. The failure energy of the R-F modified WMA was 24.3% higher than the conventional HMA, and the fracture energy of the R-F modified WMA was 7.7% higher than the conventional HMA. (3) The pavement distress prediction results showed the same trend compared with the laboratory testing performance in that the R-F modified WMA helped to improve the IRI, AC cracking, and rutting performance compared with the conventional HMA. In summary, R-F modified WMA can be applied in pavement construction.

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