Enhancement of storage stability and rheological properties of polyethylene (PE) modified asphalt using cross linking and reactive polymer based additives

The incorporation of waste polymeric materials such as polyethylene (PE) has shown to improve the rheological properties of asphalt pavement but it is often beleaguered with other concerns such as storage stability and phase separation. This study looks that the incorporation of specific reactive polymers and cross-linking additives to resolve the practical difficulties associated with the application of PE modified asphalt. Binders with waste PE were firstly prepared followed by chemical modification using trans-polyoctenamer (TPOR) and cross-linking additives at various percentages. The samples were then evaluated by the means of various tests such as conventional binder tests, storage stability, superpave performance tests and fluorescence microscopy. The results indicated that such binder modification significantly aids to reduce the storage stability problems, greatly increase elastomeric properties and improve overall rheological properties. From the microscopic analysis, it was also observed that a network of PE linkages in the modified binders is well dispersed, contributing to a more balanced and stable binder performance.