Modification of sulfur spring bitumen with Gilsonite: A step towards exploiting natural bitumen in flexible pavement production
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Abstract
In recent years, there has been increasing interest in employing Natural bitumen (NB) as a modifier or bitumen in road construction due to its exceptional properties. This study investigates the ability to produce new asphalt binders by mixing two types of NB. In this work, NB from deposits in the western region of Iraq is selected. It consisted of two types, including the sulfur spring bitumen (NB-SS) and Gilsonite bitumen (NB-G). NB-SS modified with NB-G in percentages of 40, 50, and 60% by the weight of NB-SS. Conventional asphalt tests were conducted to examine the physical properties of bitumen. Furthermore, chemical tests, including Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX), and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), were performed to examine the morphology and the chemical composition of bitumen. To examine the behavior of the asphalt mixture, the Marshall test was conducted to evaluate the mechanical and volumetric properties. In addition, the Cantabro test was performed in dry and wet conditions to assess the durability of PA and modified NB mixtures. The results reveal that NB-G can effectively harden NB-SS and improve its overall properties. Based on chemical tests, the microstructure of NB-SS and refinery asphalt is mostly flat, but it is more complex for NB-G. Moreover, NB-G has a high content of trace elements, and new functional chemical groups are produced in modified NB samples. Additionally, 50% of NB-G is the optimal blend content. Compared to a conventional mixture, modified NB-50% has a stiffness 34% higher with lower resistance to raveling, especially in dry conditions. However, the modified NB-50% mixture is more resistant to raveling in a moisture condition by approximately 52%. In summary, using NB-G as a modifier is an effective way to enhance the properties of NB-SS and make it more appropriate to use in asphalt pavement.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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