On Increase of Strength and Fatigue Life of Asphalt Composites by Introducing Ultra-small Particles of Elastomers

AbstractIn this paper, an attempt was made (through theoretical analysis) to solve the problem of fatigue life and strength of an asphalt material modified with crumb rubber. The authors used the developed earlier idea of the possibility of micro-cracks propagation retardation and their arrest in heterogeneous systems (Kaplan and Chekunaev (2010)). In this paper, the authors calculated size of crumb rubber particles significantly slowing down rate of microcracks conversion into macrocracks. It was shown that the most optimal size of bitumen modifier particles (crumb rubber) is ultra-small (200 - 600nm)