Use of coupling agents to stabilize asphalt–rubber–gravel composite to improve its mechanical properties

The mechanical performance of rubber-modified asphalt roads depends, besides the intrinsic properties of the constituents (asphalt, rubber and gravel), on their interfaces. To improve the adhesion between constituents, two different coupling agents were required: one to link asphalt with the rubber particles to stabilize the composite creating an elastic network in the interior of the material to improve its elastic recovery, and other to increase the adhesion between the hydrophobic asphalt and the hydrophilic gravel. A phenolic resin was used to link the rubber particles with the asphalt, while a switterionic molecule (phosphatidyl-choline) was used to change the OH groups on the gravel surface by hydrocarbon chains to make it compatible with the asphalt.