Performance Evaluation Of Flexible Pavement By Using SBS Polymer as Asphalt Binder Modifier

Abstract

A well-known modifier, styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS), is a high molecular polymer changing the asphalt binders’ properties by mixing. A particular quantity of SBS modifier was added to asphalt to create SBS-modified asphalt, which is mixed, sheared, or spread out using various methods. The SBS-modified asphalt enhances the anti-fatigue, low-temperature crack, and high-temperature rutting resistance of asphalt pavement, thus can be very helpful for increasing the service life of asphalt pavement. ARL 60/70 AC, NHA Class B gradation, and SBS YH-791 have been used in this research. In this study, the effects of various SBS modifier dosages (3%, 5%, 7%, and 9%) on the characteristics of asphalt was compared by conventional testing (Specific Gravity, Viscosity, Flash & Fire Point Test) and Performance testing (Resilient Modulus, Moisture Susceptibility, Wheel tracking Test) for characterizing the modified asphalt binder. The optimum bitumen content was obtained using the Marshall Mix Design technique (OBC). Additionally, the current study tried to calculate the Rut Depth of SBS-modified HMA using AI modeling with Multi Expression Programming (MEPX). According to the results, SBS has improved asphalt mixtures and can be easily utilized as a modifier in bitumen. Finally, the results of the ANOVA and Tukey’s analysis on ITS and MR revealed that, at a confidence level of 95%, the efficiency of modified asphalt pavements is greatly affected by the modifiers. The optimal SBS dosage for asphalt performance is 5%.