Use of ground tire rubber in asphalt pavements: Field trial and evaluation in Taiwan

In December 2000 and May 2001, with the assistance of the Taiwan Highway Bureau, two asphalt rubber (AR) pavement test sections were constructed as the pilot projects: one with gap-graded design and the other with open-graded design. The four-year field evaluation results demonstrate their satisfactory performance and the potential to replace modified asphalt in domestic usage. The field data collected from the demonstration projects indicates suitability in using the wet process in Taiwan with local asphalt and ground tire rubber (GTR). The laboratory test results also show that plant mixed AR meets most ASTM specifications and the test sections perform quite well based on the field monitoring data. By using the Arizona DOT AR mix gradations and mix design properties, GTR modified asphalt concrete mixtures can be successfully constructed and performed better than the conventional dense-graded mixes by using local materials and paving techniques.