Study on the properties and curing behavior of high-toughness epoxy asphalt

To resolve the critical limitations of conventional epoxy asphalt, including high cost, excessive brittleness, and inadequate toughness, a high-toughness epoxy asphalt material was synthesized. Comprehensive investigations were conducted on its tensile properties, dynamic thermomechanical behavior, and aging resistance. The experimental results demonstrate that this advanced material forms a homogeneous system with superior compatibility, attributed to its molecular architecture featuring toughening-oriented entangled chain segments. This structural configuration contributes to exceptional tensile performance and remarkable aging resistance. Furthermore, viscosity-time profile analysis under varying temperatures revealed that the high-toughness epoxy asphalt exhibits a low viscosity and a controlled reaction rate at 180°C, achieving an extended construction allowable time of 180 minutes. Curing kinetic investigations determined the optimal curing temperature window to be 140∼180°C, with distinct self-catalytic curing characteristics confirmed through nth-order kinetic analysis.