In order to study the adhesion properties of fast-melting SBS-modified asphalt (SBS-T) at the interface with aggregates, the contact angles of three dosages of SBS-T asphalt with three liquids (distilled water, glycerol, and formamide) were determined by the sessile drop method based on surface free energy theory. The evaluation indexes such as cohesion, asphalt–aggregate adhesion, stripping work and energy ratio of the asphalt were analyzed and the adhesion properties of the asphalt–aggregate system were investigated with the help of micromechanical methods. The results indicate that SBS-T can improve the adhesion properties of the asphalt. Furthermore, as the dosage of the modifier increases, the cohesion work, adhesion work, and energy ratio of the SBS-T asphalt exhibit a similar rise. As the spalling work reduces and the adhesion between asphalt and aggregate improves, it is noteworthy that the SBS-T asphalt–aggregate system exhibits superior adhesion performance compared to the SBS-modified asphalt–aggregate system, despite the same dosage.
To overcome the shortcomings of traditional wet styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) modification technology, such as its high energy consumption and thermal decomposition, a warm mix and fast-melting SBS modifier was developed. Based on the theory of rheology, a dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) was applied to investigate the viscoelastic properties of the warm mix and fast-melting SBS-modified asphalt using a frequency scanning test. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to reveal the modification mechanism of the SBS-modified asphalt. An investigation of the thermal stability of the asphalt binder was conducted using a thermogravimetric test (TG). The results exhibited that the SBS-modified asphalt had good viscoelastic properties, as well as thermal stability. The “bee structure” of the SBS-modified asphalt was finer and more stable. In addition, the adhesion and the Derjaguin–Muller–Toporov (DMT) modulus of the SBS-modified asphalt at a warm mixing speed was higher than that of regular SBS-modified asphalt.