Performance Evaluation of Conventional and Field-Produced High Modulus Asphalt Binders and Mixtures

High modulus asphalt (HiMA) is a bituminous mixture made up of modified binders. It is one of the alternatives to increase the load-bearing capability of pavement structure against structural distresses like fatigue and rutting crack. In the present study, a conventional binder (VG-40) and HiMA binder, collected from the field were used for the binder testing. Various tests like SARA, FTIR, and LAS (Linear amplitude sweep) were conducted for both conventional and modified binders. Mechanical characteristics of asphalt mixtures were determined by conducting tests like stability and flow, resilient modulus, and indirect tensile strength. Performance characteristics of the asphalt mixtures were determined in terms of moisture damage by conducting a resilient modulus test before and after ‘MIST’ (moisture-induced sensitivity test). The asphalt mixture fatigue functioning was evaluated using ‘TOT’ (Texas overlay tester). Results show that the HiMA binder gives a low penetration value and high softening point compared to conventional VG-40. LAS test indicates that HiMA does not damage in the test condition and transferred the applied load continuously compared to VG-40. The results show that the HiMA mixture is stiffer than the conventional mix as the resilient modulus and moisture resistance (MR Ratio) of the HiMA mixture is higher than the conventional mix. TOT results show that HiMA requires a higher number of cycles to cause fatigue failure compared to the conventional mixture.