Performance challenge of recycled mixtures with increased incorporation of reclaimed asphalt

Abstract

Compared to conventional mixtures, one of the main challenges of producing recycled mixtures with high incorporation rates of reclaimed asphalt (RA) is their increased stiffness, which can potentiate cracking problems. A recycled mixture containing 30% RA was designed in this work to ensure a performance similar to a conventional AC 20 mixture to be applied in a highway binder course. Therefore, the aged binder recovered from RA was mixed with bitumen 50/70 and 0.2% rejuvenator, and its basic properties (penetration and softening point) were compared to those of the 35/50 bitumen used in the conventional mixture. Then, the recycled and the conventional mixture were compared concerning their Marshall stability and stiffness modulus at 20 °C. The tests showed that recycled asphalt mixtures could perform similarly to conventional ones if correctly designed.