Rejuvenation of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) in Hot Mix Asphalt Recycling with High RAP Content

This study aims to understand intermingling process between rejuvenators and aged asphalt binders in reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) materials during RAP recycling operations in pavement construction. This study presents results of a laboratory study on the use of rejuvenators to recycle age hardened asphalt binders in RAP. Laboratory Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) samples were prepared with RAP millings from one specific pavement and a commercial rejuvenator, with 80 to 90 percent RAP content. The following mixes with various amount of the rejuvenator were evaluated: a control mix prepared from burned RAP aggregate and virgin asphalt binder, another control mix prepared with heated RAP, a recycled RAP mix with 1% rejuvenator (at the weight of the total mix), a recycled RAP mix with 0.5% rejuvenator, and a recycled RAP mix with 0.5% rejuvenator and 0.5% virgin asphalt binder. Dynamic modulus test results of laboratory prepared samples were obtained for a range of temperatures over an eleven-week period of accelerated aging at 60ºC in an inert gas oven and a conventional convection oven. Accelerated aging protocol was used to evaluate the intermingling process associated with diffusion mechanism between the rejuvenator and aged asphalt binder while an argon inert gas oven provides an environment where oxidation-related ageing and hardening in rejuvenated asphalt binders can be eliminated. The dynamic modulus data of six distinct mixes were statistically analyzed and compared to the results reported in the literature for virgin and low percentage recycled mixes. Collected data suggest that the use of rejuvenator is a viable option for recycling HMA with high RAP material content