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March 14, 2026International Journal of Novel Research and Development0 citationsOpen Access

Linear Viscoelastic Behavior of NanoModified BitumenFiller Mastics with Different Mineral Fillers

BHBanreddy HarishJawaharlal Nehru Technological University Anantapur CSCh. SashidharJawaharlal Nehru Technological University Anantapur DCDr. C. Ramachandrudu Chittar

Key Points

The research aims to evaluate the linear viscoelastic behavior of nano-modified bitumen-filler mastics using different mineral fillers and nano-additives.
Prepared bitumen-filler mastics with varying filler-to-binder ratios and different mineral fillers.
Incorporated three nano-additives at a fixed dosage.
Evaluated rheological properties using Dynamic Shear Rheometer and conducted amplitude and temperature-frequency sweep tests.
Compared results against SHRP-defined limits for shear strain and shear stress.
Exponential decay in LVE strain observed with increasing complex shear modulus for all combinations.
Nanoclay-modified mastics showed the highest improvement in LVE range.
Nano-titanium and nano-silica also improved LVE performance, but to a lesser extent.
Developed a generalized exponential relationship linking G* and LVE strain across all samples.

Abstract

This study investigated the linear viscoelastic (LVE) behavior of nano-modified bitumen-filler mastics incorporating different mineral fillers and nano-additives. Bitumen-filler mastics were prepared using three commonly used mineral fillers—Granite Filler (GF), Limestone Filler (LSF), and Marble Powder Filler (MPF)—at varying filler-to-binder (F/B) ratios of 0.6, 0.8, and 1.2. To enhance the performance of these mastics, three nano-modifiers—nanoclay (NC), nano-silica (NS), and nano-titanium dioxide (NT)—were incorporated at a fixed dosage of 3% by binder weight. One viscosity grade (VG) bitumen binder i.e., VG40, was used. The rheological properties of the mastics were evaluated using a Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR) following EN 14770 standards. Amplitude sweep tests were performed to determine the LVE limits, followed by temperature-frequency sweeps across a temperature range of 15 °C to 70 °C and frequency range of 0.1–100 rad/s. The complex shear modulus (G*) and phase angle (δ) were obtained to characterize the viscoelastic performance. The LVE regime was compared against SHRP-defined limits for shear strain (γLVE) and shear stress (τLVE). The results indicated a consistent exponential decay in LVE strain with increasing G*, across all filler types, nano-modifiers, and F/B ratios. Among the nano-additives, nanoclay-modified mastics exhibited the most significant improvement in maintaining a broader LVE range, followed by nano-titanium and nano-silica. NT-modified mastics showed superior correlation with SHRP models in LSF and GF systems, whereas NC performed best in MPF systems. A generalized exponential relationship between G* and LVE strain was developed for all combinations, enabling to predict LVE-region and understand the viscoelastic behavior across a wide spectrum of bitumen-filler mastics. This study demonstrated the effectiveness of nano-modifiers in enhancing the stiffness and LVE performance of bituminous mastics for pavement applications.

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