Laboratory Studies of the Effect of Recycled Glass Powder Additive on the Properties of Polymer Modified Asphalt Binders

In this paper, the effect of adding recycled glass powder (RGP) as a third component in polymer modified bitumen is studied. RGP and styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) is added to the base bitumen in order to prepare modified binders and mixtures. The initial study is performed to determine physical properties of unmodified, SBR modified and RGP-SBR modified asphalt binders which prove RGP's compatibilizing effect on asphalt and polymer as well as high compatibility between RGP and polymer leading to better dispersion of the polymer in asphalt. The results of the study showed how final rheological properties of the mentioned combination could be affected by adding RGP and SBR. Modified and unmodified binders are used for preparing the Marshall samples for the following tests: Marshall Strength, indirect tensile strength (ITS), tensile strength ratio (TSR), and indirect tensile stiffness modulus (ITSM) tests. The results of this study indicated that the combination of 3% SBR plus 2% RGP can improve mechanical properties of asphalt mixture considerably.