Evaluation of Dynamic Mechanical Properties of Bitumen Composites: considering Morphology and Aging

In this work, the dynamic mechanical behavior of bitumen-recycled polyethylene composites is investigated by considering the influence of the changing morphology of the recycled polyethylene and aging of bitumen. The main differences between the different samples are observed in the low frequency shear strain. The 'Self- Consistent Scheme" is used to calculate the effective shear modulus of the composite with spherical inclusions, i.e., a macroscopically isotropic bitumen medium containing recycled polyethylene spheres. The 3-phase model introduced by Christensen and Lo accurately predicts results for the composite. When we apply this model, we can take into account some morphological features including the relative amount of the polymer distribution within the matrix and also the changing of the mechanical properties of bitumen during the mixing process.

Keywords:

Dynamic Mechanical Properties , Bitumen , Composites , RPE , Morphology and Aging