| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 204981 | Fuel | 2016 | 7 Pages |
•A novel flow improver materials were successfully prepared.•The composition of the flow improver is the OASA copolymer.•OASA modification mechanism was the polar moiety and long alkyl chain.•The viscosity-reducing effect of OASA was proved.•OASA has good thermal stability enough to capable for asphalt mixing and compaction.
A novel flow improver, the copolymer of octadecyl acrylate, styrene, and maleic anhydride (OASA), was prepared by copolymerization and esterification reaction to study its viscosity-reducing effect on bitumen based its existing application on crude oil. In this paper, chemical compositions, thermal stability, and viscosity were characterized by infrared spectra (IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and Brookfield Viscometer, respectively. Besides, conventional properties of modified bitumen were investigated to study the effect of modifier. Results shown that OASA modification was physical and its mechanism was the combination effect of polar moiety and long alkyl chain of OASA copolymer; thermal stability of modifier was good enough to capable for asphalt mixing and compaction; viscosity-reducing effect of OASA was proved with a considerable range and the effect was negative to temperature increasing; as for bitumen conventional properties, penetration and ductility got increased while the softening point got decreased under the OASA modifying effect.
