Effect of waste plastic and crumb rubber on the thermal oxidative aging of modified bitumen

In this work, we study the contribution of crumb rubber (CR) and waste plastic (WP) to improve the thermal-oxidative bitumen aging resistance in short and long terms. All binders were exposed to short-term aging using RTFOT test (Rolling Thin Film Oven Test) and long-term aging using PAV test (Pressure Aging Vessel). The bitumen aging was characterised using physical and rheological tests such as penetration (Pen 25) at 25°C, ring and ball temperature and complex modulus. The degradation of bitumen components and polymer (waste plastic, crumb rubber) by thermal-oxidative aging was characterised using the FTIR spectra analysis. The physical and rheological results indicate that the modified binders are presented a good aging resistance than the pure bitumen. The WPmB presents the high resistance for the thermal-oxidative aging process comparatively to the pure bitumen and CRmB.