This study investigated the effects of carbon nanotubes (CNT) as a binder modifier on the performance properties of asphalt binders and storage stability of polymer modified binders. Performance characteristics of CNT modified binders were investigated through physical and rheological tests such as penetration index (PI), viscosity temperature susceptibility (VTS), temperature susceptibility (TS), and frequency sweep tests. Furthermore, the influence of CNT on storage stability of styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) modified binders was investigated by measuring rheological properties like separation index (SI), separation ratio ($R_s$ ), degradation ratio ($R_d$ ), and softening point difference (SPD) of the triple nanocomposite. The results indicated that the addition of CNT decreased PI, TS, and VTS and improved physical and rheological properties of the asphalt binder. Also, the results showed a significant relationship between the CNT content and PI, TS, and VTS in CNT modified binders. Regarding storage stability, adding CNT to the SBS modified binder resulted in improved stability, indicating a strong interaction between the asphalt binder and SBS polymer.

Bitumen as a main and efficient material in the behavior of hot mix asphalt (HMA) already has attracted the attention of various researchers. Bitumen modification with polymeric and nonpolymeric materials was considered one of the main research subjects relevant to increasing road life cycles. Crumb rubber is one of the appropriate bitumen modifiers due to its desired properties, and it also helps to reduce environmental pollution. In the current research, two types of mesh, crumb rubber (mesh of Nos. 14 and 50), with three different percentages (10, 15, and 20%), have been mixed with three types of bitumen, and the obtained results have been investigated on high-temperature (HT), intermediate-temperature (IT), low-temperature (LT), and viscosity properties. Also, in order to investigate the impact of aging on stated parameters, test results on bitumen samples modified by crumb rubber, before and after aging, have been studied.

With the increasing scarcity and cost of virgin materials for asphalt mixtures, the exploration of alternative components has intensified. Reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), crumb rubber (CR), steel slag (SS), and waste engine oil (WEO) have emerged as promising alternatives. Individually, RAP enhances rutting resistance but may compromise cracking tolerance; CR boosts cracking resistance; WEO affects cracking and rutting differently; and SS can influence moisture sensitivity. However, their combined impacts on asphalt performance, specifically on moisture damage, rutting, and cracking resistance, remain underexplored. In this study, 44 mixtures were assessed with varying RAP (0–75%), WEO (0–15%), and CR (0–15%) contents, alongside a constant SS aggregate (0% or 20%). The results indicate that specific combinations of these alternative materials can satisfy all performance thresholds for rutting, cracking, and moisture damage. To pinpoint ranges of optimal material contents for different high-traffic scenarios, prediction models were crafted using techniques like feed-forward neural network (FNN), generalized linear model (GLM), support vector regression (SVM), and Gaussian process regression (GPR). Among these, GPR demonstrated superior efficacy, effectively identifying regions of satisfactory performance.

With the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and the spread of this virus, the use of medical equipment, like 3-layerface masks, has increased dramatically. The proliferation of polymer-based face masks has become an environmental problem as ittakes years to completely decompose. The lack of proper management and collection causes environmental pollution. Therefore,considering the polymer base of the face masks and with the aim of improving the asphalt mixtures, in this article, the face mask andits different layers are added to the asphalt mixtures in 4 different weight percentages and in two different sizes, and Marshall test,Resilient modulus, Indirect tensile, Moisture damage, Rutting and Fatigue test were performed on the samples. The experimentalresults show that the addition of these materials to the asphalt mixtures improves the performance of asphalt and 12mm long fibersyielded better results than the results of 8mm long fibers.

The authors investigated the effect of nanoclay (NC) on the performance properties and moisture susceptibility of rubberized asphalt mixtures. Two percent crumb rubber modifier (CRM) and NC in both combined and separate modes and the effects of each additive on bitumen performance were examined through administering tests of penetration grade, softening point and temperature susceptibility. Also, indirect tensile strength tests in both dry and saturated states were performed to allow for measuring the moisture susceptibility of asphalt mixtures. Moreover, the effect size of both additives on improving the bitumen performance and asphalt mixtures was assessed by running analysis of variance method and sensitivity analysis. The results of the laboratory test and statistical analyses revealed that CRM and NC improved the properties of bitumen and asphalt mixtures. This improvement was associated with the content and type of the additives applied, and also bitumen and asphalt mixtures had the best performance in presence of a combination of CRM and NC.