Characterization of aged bitumen recovered from in-situ polymer-modified HMA and WMA using advanced technologies

The growing attention of public opinion towards the environment has prompted, in the last decades, to find eco- sustainable and economic alternatives to the traditional productions of hot-mix asphalt (HMA). Under these auspices, the use of warm mix asphalt (WMA) technology applied to mixtures containing reclaimed asphalt (RA) has grown, also due to the well-proven advantages in terms of plant odor emissions and improved working conditions. In addition, it is now known that the mechanical performance of WMAs is completely comparable, even superior in some cases, to that of HMAs. However, to date, there is no comparison in terms of long-term performance of bitumens used in full-scale pavements laid with the two different technologies. Therefore, the aim of this research is to evaluate the oxidative and rheological state of four bitumens recovered from different layers of a full-scale pavement prepared with WMA and HMA technologies and set up a methodology tool set for investigating the physicochemical properties of bitumens. An in-depth laboratory investigation, carried out through physicochemical and rheological tests, has shown that the bitumens used in WMA mixtures are char- acterized by less oxidation than HMA ones (which are characterized by longer relaxation and glass transition times) and the Styrene-Butadiene-Styrene (SBS) polymers inside them are less degraded and still contribute positively to the rheological response even after five years in service, demonstrating the ability of the chemical additive to act as possible “sacrificial agent”, safeguarding the rheological characteristics of polymer modified bitumens (PMBs).