United States Department of Transportation
i
Implementation of GPC characterization of asphalt binders at Louisiana Materials Laboratory : research project capsule.
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2010-10-01
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Abstract:Louisiana has been using polymer modified asphalt cement (PMAC) increasingly for
better pavement performance. More often than not, elastomers became the
asphalt modifiers of choice due to their excellent elasticity and good compatibility
with asphalt species. A new analytical tool is needed for assessing the presence
and quantification of the amount of the elastomer modifier, both in a supplied
PMAC and in a liquid extracted from pavement cores. Due to a large difference
between the molecular mass of polymer molecules and the mass of asphalt
components, the polymer can easily be visualized through a size exclusion analysis,
such as gel permeation chromatography (GPC). GPC methodology can be applied to
routine characterization of asphalt binders and can employ the technique in
forensic analysis of paving problems. It traces PMAC dissolved in tetrahydrofuran
(THF) solution and styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) polymer dissolved in decalin
solution. The samples are injected into a set of porous columns and eluted with
THF. The order of elution is related to the molecular weight of the component. High
molecular weight species elute first followed by molecules with ever decreasing
molecular weight. This study will evaluate the amount of the polymeric species in a
polymer modified asphalt binder, the changes imparted by the addition of recycled
asphalt pavement (RAP) to the mix, and mixes containing a crumb rubber modifier
(CRM). Utilization of GPC to monitor the amount of the polymeric material in polymer
modified asphalt binders could conceivably establish a better characterization of
asphalt materials.
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