Engineering Characteristics of SBS/Nano-Silica-Modified Hot Mix Asphalt Mixtures and Modeling Techniques for Rutting

Flexible pavements are mostly affected by meteorological factors in addition to traffic loads, which results premature pavement failures like rutting and moisture-induced damage. This study focuses on the impacts of adding various contents nano-silica (NS), i.e., 2%, 4%, 6%, 8% (percentage weight asphalt), along with a constant value 4.5% styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS). To assess effectiveness modified unmodified mixtures, indirect tensile strength (ITS) test, resilient modulus (MR) wheel tracking test were conducted. The MR was performed at dual temperature values, 25 °C 40 °C, demonstrated different metrological conditions this region. ratio used estimate mitigation water losses hot mix asphalt (HMA) mixtures (specimens) utilizing ITS conditioned unconditioned specimens. Moreover, model developed for potential specimens using multi expression programming (MEP), sophisticated technique that employs experimental data suggests an equation input variables. indicated NS SBS-modified bitumen enhanced mechanical properties specimens, including stiffness moisture resistances. had adverse effects while modifiers direct relationship stiffness. two-way factorial method justified effect 95% precision, MEP showed R2 >0.95, revealed good between predicted data. Furthermore, SBS impact HMA