Evaluation of fumaric copolymer/clays composites as base asphalt modifiers

Abstract

Polymer-modified asphalts (PMA) are known to improvepavement performance, but they have limitations, such as poor storagestability, oxidation susceptibility, low compatibility, and weak adhesion tomineral aggregates. To address these issues, recent studies have explored theuse of nanomaterials to enhance asphalt properties. Particularly in thisresearch, the specific polymer was designed to compatibilize with an Argentinianbase asphalt. The copolymer shows 54% of alkyl fraction and 46% of aromaticfraction in its structure demonstrated by 1H-NMR and FTIR analyses. Inaddition, native bentonite and benzalkonium chloride-modified organobentonitewere employed as thermally stable asphalt modifiers, suitable for thisapplication. Fluorescence analysis determined that only 180 minutes weresufficient to achieve a homogeneous distribution of the modifiers on thesamples. A comprehensive analysis of the rheological behavior as a function oftemperature, combined with routine standardized rapid tests, led us to concludethat, the incorporation of clays increases the hardness of the samples, whichin turn improves their resistance to permanent deformation. This effect,although expected, also implies higher energy consumption during processing.