The Evaluation of SMA Mixture Properties with the Surface-active Agent in WMA Technology

This paper presents the results from the study of the influence of the amount of surfactant (THPP) on selected properties of a stone mastic asphalt mixture (SMA) produced in Warm Mix Asphalt technology. The dosage of the adhesive agent was 0% (reference value), 0.2%, 0.4% and 0.6%. In addition, the experiment was extended to cover temperatures 110 °C, 120 °C, 130 °C and 140 °C. The study was carried out according to the experimental design 42. The design of the experiment involved preparing series of samples tested to determine the stiffness modulus (Sm) at temperatures 0 °C, 10 °C and 20 °C as well as the void content (Vm). The paper also discusses the influence of surface-active agents on bitumen parameters. The results from the tests indicate that the use of the THPP modifier may significantly affect the properties of the SMA mixture. The presence of the surfactant is a factor in reducing the SMA mixture compaction temperature by about 20 °C relative to the reference SMA temperature. With respect to bitumen parameters, the impact of THPP was marginal.