Effect of ageing on fatigue properties of asphalt

Abstract

The fatigue properties of asphalts were investigated after various laboratory simulation ageing tests and outdoor natural exposure ultraviolet radiation ageing, by dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) time sweep fatigue test in constant strain model and a new type of specimen which was introduced to avoid the problem of adhesion failure between rotor and asphalt binder. The results show that outdoor natural exposure ageing (NEA) causes the decrease of retained fatigue life distinctly, and photodegradation caused by outdoor NEA of 1 250 μm thin films asphalt for three months, is found to be severer than pressure ageing vessel (PAV) with respects to retained fatigue life. The effect of photodegradation increases as the time of outdoor NEA increases. DSR time sweep fatigue test in constant strain indicates that the aged styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) modified asphalt still displays better fatigue properties than the corresponding base asphalt after ageing.

Keywords

asphalt / SBS modified asphalt / ageing / time sweep test / fatigue property