Crumb rubber pretreatment by microwave before blending with an asphalt matrix can address and improve the modification problem of of crumb rubber modifier (CRM) asphalt plant. In this research, the surface area and microstructure of microwave activated CRM and high-temperature performance
of CRM asphalt were investigated to characterize the mechanism of interaction between activated CRM blends added and base asphalt. The surface area and microstructure of CRM were measured by gas adsorption method and the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) respectively when CRM was activated
using microwave treatment time (30 s, 60 s, 90 s, 120 s and 150 s). The complex shear modulus (G*) and the phase angle (δ) of the CRM asphalt were measured by Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR) test. The results indicated that microwave treatment produced more porous structure
and agglomeration phenomenon than control one for a given activated time of CRM. The flocculent structure was the most obvious one and agglomeration phenomenon was the most significant one for the particle surface microwave activated 90 s. The δ decreased and G* increased as CRM
blends activated time increased before a certain time using the same frequency of microwave treatment. The G*/sinδ of CRM blends was the maximum when CRM activated for 90 s using microwave treatment. Both surface area and microstructure of the CRM influenced the high-temperature
performance of CRM binders.