Evaluation of asphalt binder characteristics of typical Ontario superpave® CRM and RAP-HMA mixtures

Utilization of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) and Crumb Rubber Modifiers (CRM) in Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) offers transportation agencies the opportunity of enhancing the functional properties of the mixture and reducing construction costs, thus creating an engineered value-added application. Consequently, these resources are reused as opposed to being disposed in a landfill. However, a successful utilization entails evaluating engineering properties of the asphalt binder and the mechanistic properties of hot mix asphalt concrete produced using varying amounts of RAP and CRM compositions. This paper presents the results of a study to characterize and evaluate the performance of asphalt binders extracted from an array of laboratory and plant-prepared Ontario Superpave HMA mixtures containing up to 40% RAP in combination with varying CRM compositions. Such binders were characterized in accordance with the Superpave performance-based specification.