FOREWORD Recycling asphalt pavement creates a cycle of reusing materials that optimizes the use of natural resources. Reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) is a useful alternative to virgin materials because it reduces the need to use virgin aggregate, which is a scarce commodity in some areas of the United States. It also reduces the amount of costly new asphalt binder required in the production of asphalt paving mixtures. This report informs practitioners about the state of the practice for RAP use in the United States as well as best practices for increasing the use of RAP in asphalt pavement mixtures while maintaining high-quality pavement infrastructures. High percentage RAP mixtures are achieved with processing and production practices, resulting in cost and energy savings. Based on an evaluation of pavements containing 30 percent RAP through the Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) program, it has been determined that the performance of pavements containing up to 30 percent RAP is similar to that of pavements constructed from virgin materials with no RAP. This report is of interest to engineers, contractors, and others involved in the specification and design of asphalt mixtures for flexible pavements, as well as those involved in promoting the optimal use of RAP. The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or manufacturers' names appear in this report because they are considered essential to the objective of the document. Quality Assurance Statement The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides high-quality information to serve the Government, industry, and the public in a manner that promotes public understanding. Standards and policies are used to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of its information. FHWA periodically reviews quality issues and adjusts its programs and processes to ensure continuous quality improvement. Abstract With increased demand and limited aggregate and binder supply, hot mix asphalt (HMA) producers discovered that reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) is a valuable component in HMA. As a result, there has been renewed interest in increasing the amount of RAP used in HMA. While a number of factors drive the use of RAP in asphalt pavements, the two primary factors are economic savings and environmental benefits. RAP is a useful alternative to virgin materials because it reduces the use of virgin aggregate and the amount of virgin asphalt binder required in the production of HMA. Using RAP greatly reduces the amount of construction debris going into landfills, and it does not …

Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement in Asphalt Mixtures: State of the Practice

Asphalt is the most recycled material in the USA at a re-use rate of 99%. However, by average only 10–20% reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) is used in a given mix design and large part of the RAP is degraded for use in lower value applications. The amount of RAP in asphalt mixtures can be significantly increased with the application of good RAP management practice, readily available modern production technologies and advanced knowledge of mix design. This paper summarises the state-of-the-art approaches for increasing the amount of RAP in asphalt mixtures above 40%. The production challenges and common pavement distresses of very high RAP content mixtures are identified and methods to optimise the mix design as well as production technology in order to allow manufacturing of such sustainable mixtures are described. The best practices for RAP management and economic benefits of high RAP use are also discussed.

Review of very high-content reclaimed asphalt use in plant-produced pavements: state of the art

The main focus of this study was to obtain plant produced Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) mixtures, to document the mixture production parameters and to evaluate the degree of blending between the virgin and RAP binders. The effect of mixture production parameters on the performance (in terms of stiffness, cracking, rutting, and moisture susceptibility) and workability of the mixtures was evaluated. Eighteen plant produced mixtures were obtained from three locations in the Northeast United States. RAP contents (zero to 40%) were varied and softer binders were used. The data and analysis illustrated that the degree of blending between RAP and virgin binders is a function of production parameters. The stiffness of the mixtures increased as the percentage of RAP increased, but not when the discharge temperatures of the mixtures were inconsistent. The cracking resistance was reduced as the percentage of RAP increased. The rutting and moisture damage resistance improved as the percentage of RAP in the mixture...

https://www.pooledfund.org/Document/Download/3042

Performance characteristics of plant produced high RAP mixtures

The objective of this study was to examine if asphalt rejuvenators can offset the stiffness attributed by the hardened binder from reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) and reclaimed asphalt shingles (RAS) in mixtures that incorporate high RAP and RAS content without adverse impact on the performance of the mixtures. Also, to assess, if rejuvenators can help the hardened binder from the RAP/RAS comingle with the virgin binder. Overall, the results showed that asphalt rejuvenators can mitigate the stiffness of the resultant binder. The cracking characteristics of the mixture improved by the addition of the rejuvenators, however, the rutting and moisture susceptibility were adversely impacted at the dosage and the testing conditions used. Also, the tests results at 4°C generally showed that there was blending of the rejuvenated and virgin binder, however, no conclusion could be made at the higher temperatures.

Evaluating the effect of rejuvenators on the degree of blending and performance of high RAP, RAS, and RAP/RAS mixtures

This study presents micromechanical finite-element (FE) and discrete-element (DE) models for the prediction of viscoelastic creep stiffness of asphalt mixture. Asphalt mixture is composed of graded aggregates bound with mastic (asphalt mixed with fines and fine aggregates) and air voids. The two-dimensional (2D) microstructure of asphalt mixture was obtained by optically scanning the smoothly sawn surface of superpave gyratory compacted asphalt mixture specimens. For the FE method, the micromechanical model of asphalt mixture uses an equivalent lattice network structure whereby interparticle load transfer is simulated through an effective asphalt mastic zone. The ABAQUS FE model integrates a user material subroutine that combines continuum elements with viscoelastic properties for the effective asphalt mastic and rigid body elements for each aggregate. An incremental FE algorithm was employed in an ABAQUS user material model for the asphalt mastic to predict global viscoelastic behavior of asphalt mixture. In regard to the DE model, the outlines of aggregates were converted into polygons based on a 2D scanned mixture microstructure. The polygons were then mapped onto a sheet of uniformly sized disks, and the intrinsic and interface properties of the aggregates and mastic were assigned for the simulation. An experimental program was developed to measure the properties of sand mastic for simulation inputs. The laboratory measurements of the mixture creep stiffness were compared with FE and DE model predictions over a reduced time. The results indicated both methods were applicable for mixture creep stiffness prediction.

Prediction of Creep Stiffness of Asphalt Mixture with Micromechanical Finite-Element and Discrete-Element Models

The purpose of this paper is to present a new, rational and effective model for estimating the modulus of asphalt concrete using binder modulus and volumetric composition. The model is based upon an existing version of the law of mixtures, called the Hirsch model, which combines series and parallel elements of phases. In applying the Hirsch model to asphalt concrete, the relative proportion of material in parallel arrangement, called the contact volume, is not constant but varies with time and temperature. Several versions of the Hirsch model were evaluated, including ones using mastic as the binder, and one in which the effect of film thickness on asphalt binder modulus was incorporated into the equation. The most effective model was the simplest, in which the modulus of the asphalt concrete is directly estimated from binder modulus, voids in mineral aggregate, and voids filled with asphalt binder. Models are presented for both dynamic complex shear modulus and dynamic complex extensional modulus. Semi-empirical equations are also presented for estimating phase angle in shear loading and in extensional loading. The proposed model was verified by comparing predicted modulus and phase angles to values reported in the literature for a range of mixtures.

T Pellinen

Papers

Hirsch model for estimating the modulus of asphalt concrete