BITUMENS MODIFIED WITH THE ADDITION OF CRUMB RUBBER POWDER FROM RECYCLED CAR TIRES - RESEARCH AND PRACTICE

Recycling of waste materials in road construction is an important issue in terms of environmental protection and cost optimization of road construction. In order to improve the properties of asphalt binders, modification with the addition of crumb rubber powder from waste car tires is increasingly applied. The rubber modified binder obtained as a result of this modification is characterized, similarly to polymer modified bitumen, by improved viscoelastic properties. However, it is more resistant to low temperatures than polymer modified bitumen. The use of crumb rubber powder from recycled car tires is also justified for ecological reasons and is the best way to crumb rubber recycling. The paper presents a comparative analysis of the viscoelastic properties of rubberized asphalt binders, which included the assessment of properties in the range of low, medium and high temperatures. The binders were tested in terms of the basic requirements for modified binders, carrying out consistency tests in the range of technological temperatures and rheological tests in a dynamic shear rheometer and a bending beam rheometer. Examples of the use of rubber modified binder in the construction of road sections in Poland were presented. In the summary conclusions regarding the possibility of modification, properties and use of bitumens modified with the addition of rubber crumb from waste car tires were presented.