| Affiliations: | |
| Project Leader: | Fan Yin taizhongyinfan@tamu.edu Civil Engineering |
| Faculty Mentor: | Amy Epps-Martin, Ph.D. |
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Meeting Times:
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Summer 2016 (complete) |
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Team Size:
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3 (Team Full) |
| Open Spots: | 0 |
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Special Opportunities:
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Exploring research fields in recycled asphalt materials |
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Team Needs:
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Interests in asphalt pavement materials. |
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Description:
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The benefits of using recycled materials including reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) and recycled asphalt shingles (RAS) in asphalt pavement construction operations include economics, conservation of natural resources, reduction in energy consumption, and reduction in emissions. Though these benefits are substantial, the incorporation of RAP and/or RAS into asphalt mixture operations is not without challenges. For example, mix design of these mixtures is becoming more complicated and more time consuming particularly with higher recycled binder ratios (RBR). In addition, the potential for the following construction and performance issues is also increased as the high RBR mixtures are stiff and brittle: thermal cracking, fatigue cracking, reflective cracking, and raveling. Mitigation of these construction and performance issues can be addressed through mix design with the use of higher binder contents, material selection with the use of softer binders, or additives such as recycling agents. Although recycling agents have been widely used by highway agencies and contractors to rejuvenate the recycled asphalt mixtures, a standard procedure to determine the optimum dosage of the recycling agents has not been established yet. Therefore, the objective of this research project is to determine the optimum dosage of the recycling agents for recycled asphalt mixtures. |