Influence of Crumb Rubber on the Performance of Warm Mix Asphaltic Concrete

ABSTRACT
Road construction plays a fundamental role in the development and connectivity of societies across the
globe. Asphalt concrete stands as the predominant material employed in this process due to its versatility,
cost-effectiveness, and ease of construction. Traditional asphalt pavements face significant challenges,
including susceptibility to cracking, rutting caused by heavy traffic loads, and moisture damage. These
issues not only lead to premature road deterioration and increased maintenance costs but also contribute to
environmental concerns due to the high temperatures required for production, which release harmful
emissions.
In response to these challenges, various asphalt modification techniques have been explored, with crumb
rubber emerging as a promising and sustainable solution. This study aims to explain the effect of Crumb
Rubber Modified (CRM) of waste tyre on Marshall properties of asphalt mix. the physical
properties of the bitumen (penetration test, softening test, ductility test, specific gravity, flash and
fire point) and aggregate (sieve analysis, specific gravity, water absorption, aggregate impact value
and aggregate crushing value) were tested.
The asphalt sample prepared without the addition of crumb rubber serve as a control (0 %), crumb
rubber was added to asphalt sample ranging from 5% to 50% at an interval of 5% by the weight of
fine aggregate. Marshall test was conducted on all samples produced with and without crumb
rubber. The results of test show the 20% optimum value of addition of crumb rubber which
increases the performance of the asphaltic concrete. Furthermore, the study shows ranges in the
value of stability, flow and marshal quotient from 10.4 kN to 16.5 kN, 3.25 mm to 5.75 mm, 1.80
kN/mm to 3.98 kN/mm respectively.
This study establishes the use of crumb rubber to enhance the performance of asphaltic concrete
and further research is also recommended to investigate the durability performance of crumb
rubber warm mix asphaltic concrete.
Keywords: Crumb, rubber, asphalt, concrete, performance, asphaltic, aggregate, construction