Influence of high content crumb rubber and different preparation methods on properties of asphalt under different aging conditions: Chemical properties, rheological properties, and fatigue performance

Asphalt pavements are prone to aging in construction and during service, which can affect the properties of the asphalt. The aging behaviors of high content crumb rubber modified asphalt (HCRMA) were investigated in this paper. The binders were aged in the laboratory and the performances before and after aging were tested using the attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) test, temperature sweep (TS) test, frequency sweep tests, multiple stress creep recovery (MSCR) test, zero shear viscosity (ZSV) test, bending beam rheometer (BBR) test, and linear amplitude sweep (LAS) test. The FTIR test result shows that as the aging progresses, the crumb rubber (CR) continues to undergo desulphurization and degradation reactions in the HCRMA, with the release of substances such as silica and S-C bonded material from the CR into the bituminous phase. The elasticity of HCRMA decreases and then increases as the degree of aging increases. Besides, the low temperature performance of HCRMA is controlled by the stiffness value, and the low temperature stress relaxation properties of HCRMA in the aging process are better than that of 20% content crumb rubber modified asphalt. Moreover, aging can reduce the integrity and fatigue resistance of HCRMA while increasing the compatibility of HCRMA.