Quantitative Analysis of Polymers and Crumb Rubber in Hot-Mix Asphalts

Abstract

A method was developed to analyze quantitatively the amount of polymer in polymer-modified hot-mix asphalts (HMA). The polymers used were styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) and styrene-butadiene styrene (SBS) at concentrations ranging from 1 to 6 mass percent in asphalt. The aggregates used were granite, gravel, and limestone. The procedure involved removing the polymer-modified asphalt from the aggregate by using tetrahydrofuran extraction and then analyzing the modified asphalt for polymer content with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis. In addition, an FTIR analysis procedure was developed for crumb rubber in HMA; this procedure used the same FTIR method used for SBR and SBS. Previous research reported individual calibration lines for a given polymer in several different asphalt cements. Quantitation of the polymer content involved developing a calibration line for each polymer-modified asphalt. The effect of combining the data for a given polymer in three different asphalts into one universal calibration line was evaluated.

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