High-temperature performance and microstructure of composite modified hard asphalt

ABSTRACTComposite modified hard asphalt (CMHA) was prepared by four-step high-speed shearing method adding crumb rubber, styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) copolymer, and hard asphalt to QHD AH-70 neat asphalt. The high-temperature performance and microstructure of CMHA were evaluated by rotational viscometer, fluorescence microscopy, and infrared spectroscopy, through which the modification mechanism was proposed. The results show that the shearing time had great influence on the high-temperature performance of CMHA. A significant variation in phase morphology of CMHA during preparation was observed. It is found that phase morphology was converted from a continuous asphalt phase with dispersed polymer phase to two twisted continuous phases, then to a continuous asphalt phase with dispersed polymer phase again. Preparation of CMHA was a complex physical and chemical process. A fraction of SBS took part in the chemical reaction and others were dispersed in net structure, which is beneficial for workability an...