SEASONAL DEFLECTION AND IN SITU MODULI PATTERNS OF POLYMER MODIFIED VERSUS UNMODIFIED ASPHALT PAVEMENTS

Undestanding the changes in the structural characteristics of paving layers with season and asphalt binders type is essential in predicting how well the pavement responds to traffic loads and thus how long it will last. This paper presents a small scale investigation on the seasonal variations in the structural characteristics of pavement layers constructed employing polymer modified asphalt binders. These variations are compared to those of an unmodified binder. Illustrated are the influences of asphalt binder type and seasonal temperature variations on: center deflection measured by the falling weight deflectometer; insitu subbase course modulus; and insitu subgrade resilient modulus. Analysis of results for the two polymer modified sections and three unmodified control sections used it the study is provided.