Bitumen aging on the surface of crushed limestone at high temperatures
In road structural layers, mixtures of crushed limestone with oil bitumen are used as a structural material (black crushed stone), or as a part of asphalt concrete organic-mineral mixtures. Since limestone deposits are located in a great number of regions, their increased use makes it possible to reduce transportation costs in the estimated road construction cost. In the meantime, it is necessary to conduct a study of the aging of bitumen-mineral mixtures during their preparation and use in road structures when using local limestone materials. This article presents the results of the studies, during which the effect of bitumen aging on some properties of bitumen-mineral mixtures was studied using a new method. The developed method for studying bitumen aging compares favorably with the already known methods and is protected by the Patent of the Russian Federation No. 2654954. Due to this method, it becomes possible to study the effect of aging on the values of any indicator according to a single model – both complex (e.g. asphalt concrete) and simple systems (crushed stone-bitumen, sand-bitumen, etc.). This approach provides a more accurate prediction of the material behavior both during preparation and service in road structures. The execution of work involves the preliminary establishment of the optimal bitumen and crushed stone ratio, at which the highest average density and ultimate compressive strength at +20 °C is provided. Laboratory testing of samples indicated the dynamic pattern of the value of the aging coefficient and the aging rate in terms of the ultimate compressive strength at +50 °C and the elastic modulus.