Asphalt recycling in polymer modified pavement: A test section and recommendations

Abstract

While recycling of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) is accelerating, road owners still often restrict the use of RAP in polymer-modified pavement. Here we used a balanced mixture design for preparing polymer-modified asphalt mixtures for wearing and binder courses having 30 % to 60 % RAP content. Findings from the paved test section show that it is possible to design polymer-modified mixtures with 30 % to 50 % RAP that have a good crack propagation resistance, high fatigue resistance, acceptable stiffness, and sufficient rutting resistance. Based on the findings, recommendations for RAP use in polymer-modified layers are provided.