A study on the oxidation kinetics of warm mix asphalt

Constant rate activation energies show statistically insignificant differences between the base binder and its WMAs; additionally, for each WMA material all four kinetics parameters follow the same correlations previously established for 15 non-WMA binders. These results suggest no adverse effect of WMA additives on asphalt oxidation, compared to the base binder. An example pavement binder oxidation simulation specific to Lubbock, Texas indicates that first, between a base binder and its corresponding WMAs, differences in pavement oxidation over 10 years of pavement service would be minimal and second, oxidative hardening may (or may not) slow the overall reaction rate as diffusion resistance increases, depending on the balance between diffusion and reaction rates.