Term of Award

Spring 2025

Degree Name

Master of Science, Civil Engineering

Document Type and Release Option

Thesis (open access)

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Department

Department of Civil Engineering and Construction

Committee Chair

Junan Shen

Committee Member 1

Soonkie Nam

Committee Member 2

Xiaoming Yang

Abstract

The study investigates the improvement of the dynamic shear modulus in the base and styrene butadiene styrene (SBS) modified asphalt mixture by accumulating varying amounts of ground tire rubber through an Asphalt mixture performance tester (AMPT). This thesis specifically explores how different percentages of ground tire rubber (GTR) influence the mechanical properties and durability of the asphalt mixture articulated with two grades, PG 64-22 and PG 76-22. The experimental framework consisted of preparing asphalt mixtures blended with 10% to 15% of the binder for PG 64-22 and 3% to 8% of GTR for PG 76-22. The laboratory testing involved using the Asphalt Mixture Performance Tester to determine the dynamic modulus, which measures the stiffness and repetitive load resistance properties of the asphalt mixture. Through an extensive experimental setup involving dynamic modulus at different frequencies and temperatures. The study shows that asphalt mixtures receive better dynamic modulus resistance when GTR is added to their composition. An effective interaction occurs between rubber particles and the higher-grade binder when mixtures utilize PG 76-22 at lower GTR levels. Mixtures composed of PG 64-22 benefited significantly from increased GTR content to increase their dynamic modulus and increased rutting resistance. The GTR content exhibits such characteristics that it optimizes pavement life duration when added to a particular binder type. The research establishes a relationship between the dynamic modulus properties in asphalt mixture with thickness, which leads to a proposed novel pavement design procedure for the pavement thickness assessment. The study reveals this insight to enhance understanding about creating improved asphalt pavements through modifier selection, which combines mechanical properties with enhanced dynamic modulus.

OCLC Number

1520497830

Research Data and Supplementary Material

Yes

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