Marshall-Based Thermal Performance Analysis of Conventional and Polymer-Modified Asphalt Binders
Iraq’s extreme summer temperatures pose critical challenges to pavement durability, as conventional asphalt mixtures often fail under prolonged thermal stress. This paper provides a comparative evaluation of the high-temperature performance of unmodified (40/50 penetration grade) and polymer-modifie...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Construction Materials |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7108/5/2/40 |
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| author | Mustafa Mohammed Jaleel Mustafa Albdairi Ali Almusawi |
| author_facet | Mustafa Mohammed Jaleel Mustafa Albdairi Ali Almusawi |
| author_sort | Mustafa Mohammed Jaleel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Iraq’s extreme summer temperatures pose critical challenges to pavement durability, as conventional asphalt mixtures often fail under prolonged thermal stress. This paper provides a comparative evaluation of the high-temperature performance of unmodified (40/50 penetration grade) and polymer-modified (PG 76-10) asphalt mixtures for the asphalt course layer. Marshall stability, flow, and stiffness were measured at elevated temperatures of 60 °C, 65 °C, 70 °C, and 75 °C after short-term (30 min) and extended (24 h) conditioning. Results show that while both mixtures experienced performance degradation as the temperature increased, the polymer-modified mixture consistently exhibited superior thermal resistance, retaining approximately 9% higher stability and 28% higher stiffness, and displaying 18% lower flow deformation at 75 °C compared to the unmodified mixture. Stability degradation rate (SDR), stiffness degradation rate (SiDR), and flow increase rate (FIR) analyses further confirmed the enhanced resilience of PG 76-10, showing nearly 39% lower FIR under thermal stress. Importantly, PG 76-10 maintained performance within specification thresholds under all tested conditions, unlike the conventional 40/50 mixture. These findings emphasize the necessity of adapting mix design standards to regional climatic realities and support the broader adoption of polymer-modified asphalt binders to enhance pavement service life in hot-climate regions like Iraq. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7cd0fdcd5eee4d96bbbdd7fbeea24ac5 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2673-7108 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Construction Materials |
| spelling | doaj-art-7cd0fdcd5eee4d96bbbdd7fbeea24ac52025-08-20T03:27:23ZengMDPI AGConstruction Materials2673-71082025-06-01524010.3390/constrmater5020040Marshall-Based Thermal Performance Analysis of Conventional and Polymer-Modified Asphalt BindersMustafa Mohammed Jaleel0Mustafa Albdairi1Ali Almusawi2Italian Technital Company in Al-Faw Grand Port, Basra 61010, IraqCivil Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Çankaya University, Ankara 06815, TürkiyeCivil Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Çankaya University, Ankara 06815, TürkiyeIraq’s extreme summer temperatures pose critical challenges to pavement durability, as conventional asphalt mixtures often fail under prolonged thermal stress. This paper provides a comparative evaluation of the high-temperature performance of unmodified (40/50 penetration grade) and polymer-modified (PG 76-10) asphalt mixtures for the asphalt course layer. Marshall stability, flow, and stiffness were measured at elevated temperatures of 60 °C, 65 °C, 70 °C, and 75 °C after short-term (30 min) and extended (24 h) conditioning. Results show that while both mixtures experienced performance degradation as the temperature increased, the polymer-modified mixture consistently exhibited superior thermal resistance, retaining approximately 9% higher stability and 28% higher stiffness, and displaying 18% lower flow deformation at 75 °C compared to the unmodified mixture. Stability degradation rate (SDR), stiffness degradation rate (SiDR), and flow increase rate (FIR) analyses further confirmed the enhanced resilience of PG 76-10, showing nearly 39% lower FIR under thermal stress. Importantly, PG 76-10 maintained performance within specification thresholds under all tested conditions, unlike the conventional 40/50 mixture. These findings emphasize the necessity of adapting mix design standards to regional climatic realities and support the broader adoption of polymer-modified asphalt binders to enhance pavement service life in hot-climate regions like Iraq.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7108/5/2/40polymer-modified bitumen (PMB)Marshall stabilityhigh-temperature performancePG76-1040/50 bitumenasphalt pavement |
| spellingShingle | Mustafa Mohammed Jaleel Mustafa Albdairi Ali Almusawi Marshall-Based Thermal Performance Analysis of Conventional and Polymer-Modified Asphalt Binders Construction Materials polymer-modified bitumen (PMB) Marshall stability high-temperature performance PG76-10 40/50 bitumen asphalt pavement |
| title | Marshall-Based Thermal Performance Analysis of Conventional and Polymer-Modified Asphalt Binders |
| title_full | Marshall-Based Thermal Performance Analysis of Conventional and Polymer-Modified Asphalt Binders |
| title_fullStr | Marshall-Based Thermal Performance Analysis of Conventional and Polymer-Modified Asphalt Binders |
| title_full_unstemmed | Marshall-Based Thermal Performance Analysis of Conventional and Polymer-Modified Asphalt Binders |
| title_short | Marshall-Based Thermal Performance Analysis of Conventional and Polymer-Modified Asphalt Binders |
| title_sort | marshall based thermal performance analysis of conventional and polymer modified asphalt binders |
| topic | polymer-modified bitumen (PMB) Marshall stability high-temperature performance PG76-10 40/50 bitumen asphalt pavement |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7108/5/2/40 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mustafamohammedjaleel marshallbasedthermalperformanceanalysisofconventionalandpolymermodifiedasphaltbinders AT mustafaalbdairi marshallbasedthermalperformanceanalysisofconventionalandpolymermodifiedasphaltbinders AT alialmusawi marshallbasedthermalperformanceanalysisofconventionalandpolymermodifiedasphaltbinders |