Performance Evaluation of Recycled PMA Binders Containing Warm Mix Asphalt Additives

The performance properties of recycled polymer modified asphalt (PMA) binders containing warm mix asphalt (WMA) additives at high, intermediate, and low temperatures were evaluated. First, each combination of two PMA binders (performance grade (PG) 76-22 from two different sources) and two WMA additives (i.e., Aspha-min (R) and Sasobit (R)) were blended to produce warm PMA binders. They were then artificially short-term and long-term aged through the rolling thin film oven and pressure aging vessel procedures. Second, long-term aged warm PMA binders were recycled using two virgin binders (PG 76-22 and PG 70-22), and the recycled binders were artificially aged again. Lastly, Superpave binder tests were performed through the rotational viscometer, the dynamic shear rheometer (DSR), and the bending beam rheometer (BBR). In general, the results of this study suggested that (1) the WMA additives and the aged PMA binders were found to have a significant influence on the performance properties of recycled binders (measured by the DSR and the BBR); (2) the use of PG 70-22 as a virgin binder was effective in offsetting the increase of binder stiffness due to the additives and the aged binders; and (3) the recycled warm PMA binders can result in satisfactory binder performance that meets current Superpave binder requirements.