PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF RUBBERIZED BITUMEN

ABSTRACT The need for a sustainable, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional bitumen binding agents in road construction and maintenance, although while addressing the challenges associated with rubberized bitumen's quality, standardization, and long-term performance. This project is aimed at partially replacing conventional bitumen, a material often used in the construction of asphalt pavement with rubberized bitumen at varied proportions to evaluate its mechanical properties, in order to ascertain whether or not it can be suitable for asphalt pavement construction. Conventional bitumen is the material used in asphalt pavement construction. However, due to its challenges such as rutting, cracking and failure in road construction within shorter time frames of about 0-15 years, an alternative material which is the rubberized bitumen has been recommended as the possible solution in facing this challenges. Rubberized bitumen Is an innovative concept which Involves the incorporation of crumb rubber derived from discarded tires into bitumen binders, creating a modified binder with unique properties that contribute to improved pavement characteristics. Twelve (12) numbers of rubberized asphalt samples were prepared using The Marshall Mix Design Method. Varied proportions of rubberized bitumen at 0%, 3%, 6% and 9% were used to evaluate the various mechanical properties such as percentage voids, density, Marshall-stability, flow, and the stiffness of the rubberized asphalt. From each properties tested, the asphalt concrete with 3% crumb shows more desirable qualities than all other percentages. The crumb rubber at 6% and 9% rather showcased a poor behavior in most properties tested after the desirable quality is achieved at 3% crumb rubber. It is observed that conventional bitumen at the initial cost is cost effective but rubberized bitumen superceeds it at the long term run, making it a more better alternative. The stability of the asphalt mix increases at the increase of the modified bitumen. This indicates the rubberized bitumen has a better weary course material than the conventional bitumen with the peak percentage being 3% i.e. 6.03KN. It is however recommended to carry out studies on different percentages to further determine the behavior of rubberized bitumen.