Civil Engineering and Architecture Vol. 12(2), pp. 1260 - 1268
DOI: 10.13189/cea.2024.120241
Reprint (PDF) (837Kb)

An Experimental Investigation on the Rutting Performance of the Polymer Modified Bituminous (PMB) Mixes

Praveen Kumar P ^1,*, Kiran Kumar B V ¹, Manjunatha S ¹, Gnanamurthy P B ^2
1 Department of Civil Engineering, Government SKSJT Institute, India
² Department of Civil Engineering, Government Engineering College, India

ABSTRACT

Flexible pavements are the most common type of pavement constructed in India and around the world using bitumen or asphalt. The pavement surface undergoes early distress or failure due to the high intensity of traffic, the overloading of vehicles, and significant changes in climatic conditions. The performance of conventional bituminous mixes can be improved by modifying the bitumen with the addition of additives, chemicals, waste materials, polymers, rubber, etc. The present investigation is carried out to assess the performance of the bituminous mixes prepared with conventional bitumen and elastomeric thermoplastic-based polymers, namely, Styrene Butadiene Styrene (SBS), a type of Polymer Modified Bitumen (PMB), by subjecting them to Marshall and rutting tests. The pavement crust is built as per guidelines and specifications of the Indian Road Congress (IRC) 37, 2018. The rutting tests at different temperatures were carried out by indigenously developed equipment, namely the Roller Compactor cum Rut Analyzer (RCRA). The results show that the bituminous mixes prepared with polymer modified bitumen have a higher strength in the range of 16% to 21% than mixes prepared with conventional bitumen. Also, modified bituminous mixes showed higher density and a lower flow value, making the pavement surface less susceptible to temperature. Similarly, the results of rutting tests show the polymer modified bituminous mixes exhibited 11.8%, 20.5%, and 28.4% higher resistance to rutting than the mixes prepared with conventional bituminous mixes at 30℃, 50℃, and 70℃ respectively. The findings of the research help to reduce the use of natural resources, reduce the cost of construction, and simultaneously enhance the performance of pavement.

KEYWORDS
Flexible Pavement, Polymer Modified Bitumen (PMB), Rutting, Indian Road Congress (IRC) 37-2018, Roller Compactor cum Rut Analyzer (RCRA), Pavement Performance

Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Praveen Kumar P , Kiran Kumar B V , Manjunatha S , Gnanamurthy P B , "An Experimental Investigation on the Rutting Performance of the Polymer Modified Bituminous (PMB) Mixes," Civil Engineering and Architecture, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 1260 - 1268, 2024. DOI: 10.13189/cea.2024.120241.

(b). APA Format:
Praveen Kumar P , Kiran Kumar B V , Manjunatha S , Gnanamurthy P B (2024). An Experimental Investigation on the Rutting Performance of the Polymer Modified Bituminous (PMB) Mixes. Civil Engineering and Architecture, 12(2), 1260 - 1268. DOI: 10.13189/cea.2024.120241.