This research study aimed to assess the influence of different particle sizes of crumb rubber modifier on phase separation when mixed with virgin asphalt binder (PG 64-22). Both Superpave and multiple stress creep recovery (MSCR) tests were conducted to determine the optimal particle size. Three sizes of crumb-rubber particles (≤0.5 mm, ≤1 mm, and 1–2 mm) were individually incorporated into the binder at a weight proportion of 10%. The findings revealed that an increase in particle size resulted in higher viscosity, which reduced workability. However, the use of particles with a size of ≤0.5 mm effectively decreased viscosity. Furthermore, larger particle sizes enhanced resistance to rutting and improved the lifespan of the pavement. Multiple shear creep recovery (MSCR) tests confirmed that larger crumb-rubber particles exhibited a higher load-bearing capacity. Additionally, phase separation studies demonstrated that larger particle sizes were associated with increased phase separation. Notably, particles with a size of ≤0.5 mm performed exceptionally well in reducing phase separation across all combinations. In conclusion, crumb-rubber particles with a size of ≤0.5 mm were identified as the most effective in minimizing phase separation when blended with virgin asphalt binder. These findings provide solid scientific evidence related to the effects of crumb-rubber particles on the storage stability of rubberized asphalt binder and have significant implications for future research in this field.

The study describes the laboratory assessment (physical and rheological properties) of the binders (PG 64-22 and PG 76-22) modified with Styrene Butadiene Rubber (SBR), and a comprehensive comparison between these two modified binder types. PG 64-22 and PG 76-22 were used as base binders. Both of the base binders were blended with SBR at four different percentages of content (0%, 4%, 6%, and 8% by the weight of the binder). The base and modified binders were artificially short-term and long-term aged using a rolling thin film oven (RTFO) and pressure aging vessel (PAV) procedures. Superpave binder tests were conducted on the SBR modified binder using rotational viscometer (RV), dynamic shear rheometer (DSR), and bending beam rheometer (BBR). In depth rutting performance was investigated using Multiple Stress Creep Recovery (MSCR). The results of this study indicated that (1) the addition of SBR into both binders increased the viscosity and polymer modified asphalt (PMA) binders observed to have more significant effect on its viscosity property; (2) the higher the SBR content, the better the rutting resistance of the binder and it is observed that the effect is prominent on the control binder; (3) MSCR test results showed that the SBR modified binders improved the binder percentage recovery and found to have a more significant effect on the PG 76-22 binder compared to PG 64-22; and (4) both the control PG 64-22 and PMA PG 76-22 binders resulted in similar trends on the cracking properties and were found to have insignificant effects due to the addition of an SBR modifier.

This paper conveys the laboratory investigation of the storage stability of CRM binder as a basic study. The CRM binder was produced through the wet process in the laboratory. The percentages of crumb rubber used for rubberized binder were 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%. The samples were prepared according to ASTM D7173. In order to evaluate the properties of each part of the binders, tests were carried out through the rotational viscosity and viscoelasticity, and the separation index was assessed with the G*/sin δ and %rec. In general, the results of this study revealed that (1) the conditioned CRM binders appeared to have higher viscosity in the bottom part compared to the middle and top parts.; (2) similar to the viscosity results, the CRM binders after conditioning showed the highest G*/sin δ value in the bottom part; (3) from the MSCR test, J_nr and % rec values are observed to have a similar trend with G*/sin δ results, although some of the data were not measured due to the higher load than the DSR test; and (4) it was discovered that the SI from G*/sin δ generally used was suitable for evaluating the storage stability of CRM asphalt binders, compared to the SI from % rec.

Crumb rubber binder with thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) has been experimented with to characterize the performance properties considering the workability, rutting, fatigue cracking and cracking resistance at low temperatures depending on the temperatures and aging states. Physical and rheological properties were evaluated to proceed with the study by applying Superpave asphalt binder testing and multi-stress creep recovery (MSCR). Based on the targeted experiments, the binder samples were produced at three aging states (original, short-term aged and long-term aged) using a rolling thin film oven (RTFO) and pressure aging vessel (PAV). The results revealed that (i) the addition of TPU into CRM binders has a potential effect on increasing viscoelasticity at the original condition, (ii) CRM binders containing TPU showed improved anti-aging performance based on results of RTFO residues and (iii) the inclusion of TPU made it possible for CRM asphalt binder to improve its fatigue and cracking resistance at low temperature.

Crumb rubber modifier (CRM) binders easily suffer from instability at high temperatures, with many suggestions being developed to evaluate their storage stability. However, much uncertainty around CRM binders still exists regarding the relationship between mixing methods and experiments in order to calculate the separation index. In this study, a laboratory investigation into how CRM binders behave regarding storage stability using different mixing methods and experiments was conducted. The CRM asphalt binder in this study was prepared through a wet mixing process with the addition of 5% and 10% crumb rubber modifier (by weight) at 200 °C. The three main modification methods were method A: high-shear mixing (8000 rpm) for 2 h, method B: low mixing (300 rpm) for 8 h, and method C: high-shear mixing (8000 rpm) for 2 h + low mixing (300 rpm) for 6 h. In addition, the effect of separation index (SI) on storage stability was assessed, measuring viscosity, G*/sin δ, and percentage recovery. In general, the results of this study revealed that method C appeared to have the most prominent effect on decreasing the difference between the values of the top and bottom parts; the results for 5% CRM using method C showed that there were no differences among the values for the top, middle, and bottom parts; from the MSCR test, method C was effective in decreasing the difference between the values of the top and bottom parts. It was observed that method C improved storage stability. However, the results for percentage recovery were relatively higher than the separation index when using rotational viscosity and G*/sin δ.

The aim of this study is to analyze the phase separation that occurs between treated and untreated rubber crumb particles produced by wet processes in the laboratory. The percentage of replacement used for both the treated and untreated crumb rubber-modified asphalt (CRMA) was 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%. Tests to evaluate binder properties were performed using a rotational viscometer and a DSR, and the following properties were determined—viscosity, G*/sinδ, % recovery, and J_nr. The phase separation study was analyzed using the viscosity and G*/sinδ results. In general, the results of the study show the following. (1) The treated CRMA binders had higher viscosity values than untreated CRMA binders, although some values could not be measured due to the high viscosity values. (2) The G*/sinδ, % recovery and J_nr results also had a similar trend with viscosity results. (3) The viscosity and G*/sinδ phase separation values demonstrate that treated CRMA binders perform better than untreated CRMA binders. (4) Different experimental methods have shown variations in the calculated SI value; hence, a more improved approach should be explored to accurately assess the storage stability of asphalt binders containing various additives.