Effects of Amorphous Poly Alpha Olefin (APAO) and Polyphosphoric Acid (PPA) on the Rheological Properties, Compatibility and Stability of Asphalt Binder

High production costs and poor storage stability have become important constraints in the manufacture of modified asphalt binder. To simplify the production process and reduce the production cost, amorphous poly alpha olefin (APAO) and polyphosphoric acid (PPA) were applied to prepare highly stable modified asphalt binder. The influence of APAO/PPA on the temperature sensitivity, rheological property, storage stability, compatibility and microstructure of neat binder were studied by rotational viscosity (RV), dynamic shear rheometer (DSR), bending beam rheometer (BBR) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The results show that the incorporation of APAO/PPA reduced the temperature sensitivity of neat binder. The combined effect of APAO/PPA contributed to the improvement in deformation resistance, which was evidenced by the increase in failure temperature and percent recovery. However, the compound modification of APAO/PPA decreased the binder’s low-temperature performance. APAO strengthened the fatigue resistance of the binder, while PPA reduced the anti-fatigue performance. Composite modified asphalt binder with superior storage stability could be prepared, which was confirmed by the desired Cole–Cole plots and fluorescence imaging. Furthermore, chemical and physical reactions occurred during the APAO/PPA modification process. Overall, 2 wt.% (weight percentage) APAO and 1.5 wt.% PPA are recommended for the production of modified asphalt binder with remarkable rheological performance and storage stability.