<p>From the past few decades, new environmental conditions and an increase in traffic load have favored the development of new modifiers for bitumen binders. Recently, nanomaterials have been incorporated in binders to improve their thermal, electrical, and mechanical properties. Graphene is one of such nanomaterials, which is effective for enhancing the mechanical properties of bitumen, improving its thermal and electrical properties, and increasing its ageing resistance. Polymers like Styrene Ethylene Butylene Styrene (SEBS) have been commonly used as binder modifiers. SEBS positively influences the viscoelastic properties of bitumen and improves ageing resistance of the binders. However, it suffers from storage instability at the higher temperature. In our study, Graphene and SEBS were used to modify the properties of the VG10 (soft grade) binder. Performance evaluation of five combinations of Graphene/SEBS modified asphalt binders was done. It was found that modified binders possess better physical properties than base binders. During rheological characterization, it was found that complex modulus increases (1% Graphene/2% SEBS) poses higher complex modulus values as compared to other combinations, phase angle decreases, Superpave Rutting parameter increases, and failure temperature increase with increasing Graphene/SEBS content up to a certain extent. Adding Graphene/SEBS increases the binder’s resistance to rutting. Best results are shown by 1% Graphene/2% SEBS modified binders closely followed by 1.5% Graphene/ 3% SEBS modified binder. The failure temperature can be observed as 80 °C for 1% Graphene/2%SEBS as compared to base binder which is approximately 62 °C. The addition of 1% Graphene and 2% SEBS has resulted in an approximately 29% increase in failure temperature. This suggests that the modified binder exhibits improved thermal stability and resistance to deformation at higher temperatures. After short-term ageing, both softening points incremental and ageing index manifested a reduction as the percentage of Graphene/ SEBS was increased up to a certain extent. This points out to the fact that Graphene/SEBS is effective in increasing the ageing resistance of the binders. In multiple stress and creep recovery test, non-recoverable creep compliance decreased, percent recovery increased and traffic grade improved with increasing content of Graphene/SEBS up to a certain extent. During all these tests, the optimum concentration was found to be 1% graphene/2% SEBS closely followed by 1.5% graphene/3% SEBS. All the test results confirmed the fact that the Graphene/SEBS modifier is effective in enhancing the high- temperature properties (rutting resistance) of the soft grade binders and at the same time, it increases the elasticity of the binders. It was found that SEBS negatively influences the fatigue resistance of the binder whereas Graphene has a slightly positive influence on the fatigue resistance of the binders. So, the combination of Graphene/SEBS has to be carefully formulated to improve the fatigue resistance of the binders.</p>

Performance evaluation of graphene/SEBS on the properties of asphalt binder

期刊论文
发表日期：

2025年10月6日

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Peerzada Mosir Shah

摘要

From the past few decades, new environmental conditions and an increase in traffic load have favored the development of new modifiers for bitumen binders. Recently, nanomaterials have been incorporated in binders to improve their thermal, electrical, and mechanical properties. Graphene is one of such nanomaterials, which is effective for enhancing the mechanical properties of bitumen, improving its thermal and electrical properties, and increasing its ageing resistance. Polymers like Styrene Ethylene Butylene Styrene (SEBS) have been commonly used as binder modifiers. SEBS positively influences the viscoelastic properties of bitumen and improves ageing resistance of the binders. However, it suffers from storage instability at the higher temperature. In our study, Graphene and SEBS were used to modify the properties of the VG10 (soft grade) binder. Performance evaluation of five combinations of Graphene/SEBS modified asphalt binders was done. It was found that modified binders possess better physical properties than base binders. During rheological characterization, it was found that complex modulus increases (1% Graphene/2% SEBS) poses higher complex modulus values as compared to other combinations, phase angle decreases, Superpave Rutting parameter increases, and failure temperature increase with increasing Graphene/SEBS content up to a certain extent. Adding Graphene/SEBS increases the binder’s resistance to rutting. Best results are shown by 1% Graphene/2% SEBS modified binders closely followed by 1.5% Graphene/ 3% SEBS modified binder. The failure temperature can be observed as 80 °C for 1% Graphene/2%SEBS as compared to base binder which is approximately 62 °C. The addition of 1% Graphene and 2% SEBS has resulted in an approximately 29% increase in failure temperature. This suggests that the modified binder exhibits improved thermal stability and resistance to deformation at higher temperatures. After short-term ageing, both softening points incremental and ageing index manifested a reduction as the percentage of Graphene/ SEBS was increased up to a certain extent. This points out to the fact that Graphene/SEBS is effective in increasing the ageing resistance of the binders. In multiple stress and creep recovery test, non-recoverable creep compliance decreased, percent recovery increased and traffic grade improved with increasing content of Graphene/SEBS up to a certain extent. During all these tests, the optimum concentration was found to be 1% graphene/2% SEBS closely followed by 1.5% graphene/3% SEBS. All the test results confirmed the fact that the Graphene/SEBS modifier is effective in enhancing the high- temperature properties (rutting resistance) of the soft grade binders and at the same time, it increases the elasticity of the binders. It was found that SEBS negatively influences the fatigue resistance of the binder whereas Graphene has a slightly positive influence on the fatigue resistance of the binders. So, the combination of Graphene/SEBS has to be carefully formulated to improve the fatigue resistance of the binders.