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    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
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    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
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      <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
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      <title>Evaluation of Asphalt Rubber and Reclaimed Tire Rubber in Chip Seal Applications</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1521615</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The objective of this study is to improve the durability and to extend the life of chip seal applications in Louisiana using rubber-modified emulsion and reclaimed rubber tires in the aggregate layer.  To achieve this objective, the study will review state practices in the use and construction of rubberized chip seal including both asphalt rubber, rubber-modified emulsion, and reclaimed rubber tires in the aggregate layer.  Based on this review, job mix formula will be developed for rubberized chip seal and will be evaluated in the laboratory.  Crumb rubber will be used as a binder modifier as well as part of the aggregate stone.  Construction, short-term field performance, and cost-benefit analysis of this new class of asphalt surface treatment will be evaluated to facilitate implementation in pavement preservation activities.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 04 Jul 2018 20:05:14 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1521615</guid>
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      <title>Producing Bio-Modified Rubber (BMT) Asphalt; A Sustainable and Bio-Based Alternative for Petroleum-Based Asphalt</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1442173</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The contract for this project has just been signed. This follow-on project will explore and establish technical and scale-up feasibility and market viability of bio-modified rubber (BMR) asphalt (developed in an earlier IDEA Project NCHRP-171) as a sustainable bio-based alternative to petroleum-based asphalt and test it in the field. Work in Stage 1 will focus on designing and building a prototype to perform thermochemical liquefaction of swine manure, followed by filtration and vacuum distillation to produce an amide-enriched bio-modifier. This modifier will be blended with crumb rubber to activate the rubber surfaces. During blending (at 175ºC with 20 minutes residence time), molecules of bio-modifier will cleave polysulfidic crosslinks of swollen vulcanized crumb rubber in the absence of oxygen to promote interaction between the rubber surface and the amide groups in bio-modifier molecules. Amide-type organic compounds have a polar end and a non-polar hydrocarbon tail. When BMR is added to the asphalt binder, the polar end attaches to the rubber (polar surfaces) and the tail attaches to asphalt (non-polar) promoting interaction between BMR and the asphalt matrix. This reduces the propensity of rubber segregation within the asphalt blend and enhances asphalt rheological properties. In addition, the prototype unit will be able to produce sufficient BMR for laboratory and field evaluation. Work in Stage 2 will focus on experimental evaluation of BMR asphalt, alone and within the paving mixture. Superpave PG grading will be conducted for three selected BMRs. In addition, a comprehensive analysis at both binder and mixture levels will be performed. At the binder level, chemical and rheological characteristics of bio-asphalt before and after short-term and long-term aging (RTFO and PAV) will be investigated At the mixture level, Superpave mixtures will be prepared using three different BMRs for both intermediate and low temperature performance. Tests to be performed will include a low temperature cracking test [disk-shaped compact tension (DCT) test following ASTM D7313]. Stiffness will be investigated by measuring the dynamic modulus and flow number (AASHTO TP79). Moisture resistance will be investigated using a Hamburg wheel-track tester (AASHTO T324). Finally, the compounds that leach out from each of the mixtures will be analyzed and compared with ground water standards. The best performing BMR asphalt mixture will be selected for a trial field section. The trial section will use two rubber modified asphalts -- one with BMR (surface treated rubber) and the other with un-treated rubber. Field work will be done in collaboration with the industry partner and the North Carolina DOT. The mixing temperature and level of agitation for both asphalts as well as the number of roller compaction passes will be monitored to compare the ease of application of the two mixtures. In addition, field samples will be collected before and after compaction to conduct performance testing following North Carolina DOT specifications.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sun, 08 Jan 2017 10:26:20 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1442173</guid>
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      <title>PPRC14 SPE 4.50: Performance-Related Specifications for Rubberized Asphalt Binder</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1441815</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This is a continuation of Task 2558 to develop supporting data/information for the writing of performance related Quality Control/Quality Assurance (QC/QA) specifications for mix design and mix placement of terminal blend and wet process asphalt rubber mixes.  This project will use recently developed dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) test methods for assessing rubber binders and will include laboratory mix tests and field evaluations on new and recent projects.  The project will also investigate potential changes in bending beam rheometer (BBR) test procedures for binders containing rubber.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 04 Jan 2017 10:53:19 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1441815</guid>
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      <title>Environmental Impacts and Energy Efficiency of Rubberized Warm Mix Asphalt (R-WMA) for Sustainable Road Construction</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1236251</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Rubberized Hot Mix Asphalt (R-HMA), produced by adding between 15-20 percent crumb rubber from scrap tires to the asphalt binder is an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional hot mix asphalt (HMA). Use of R-HMA equates to recycling more than 1,250 scrap tires per one lane-kilometer overlaid with a thin (45 mm) overlay. Apart from recycling benefits, R-HMA has also been shown, through extensive research, to have superior performance in terms of fatigue and reflective cracking, two primary failure modes for asphalt pavements. Half the thickness of R-HMA will provide the same cracking life as full thickness HMA for overlays of cracked pavement according to research conducted by the University of California Pavement Research Center (UCPRC). However, more widespread use of R-HMA is limited by the need to produce and construct these mixes at much higher temperatures. Because of the higher viscosity of rubberized asphalt binder, production of R-HMA requires higher temperatures than are required for mixing of conventional HMA (190°C to 220°C [375°F to 425°F] for R-HMA compared to 140°C to 160°C [280°F to 320°F] for HMA). While R-HMA uses waste tire material and extends the life of pavements, it comes at the cost of increased energy consumption, emissions, odors, and fumes during production and construction due to higher temperature requirements. New technology is now available to reduce the production temperatures by between 15°C and 55°C (30°F to 100°F). These technologies collectively are referred to as Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA). The use of warm-mix asphalt technologies can potentially reduce these temperatures by up to 55°C (100°F) without any negative effects on performance. No research is being carried out to quantify the environmental benefits and energy savings. This information is needed by road and environmental authorities to support decisions to use Rubberized Warm Mix Asphalt (R-WMA) in rehabilitation projects nationwide.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 03 Jan 2013 15:43:44 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1236251</guid>
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      <title>Performance of Warm Mix Asphalt and Low Energy Mixes, Phase 3</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1234322</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) is a suite of technologies that allows a reduction in traditional hot-mix asphalt (HMA) production and paving temperatures. There are currently four different WMA categories (organic additives, inorganic additives, chemical foaming processes, and mechanical foaming processes), with 14 known technologies currently available in the USA. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), county and local government road authorities, and the construction industry are interested in the evaluation of WMA products for: (1) Worker health and safety benefits (lower temperatures, less fumes); (2) Environmental benefits (reduced stack and construction emissions); (3) Opportunities to extend the paving season, undertake more night time paving, and to allow longer hauls of HMA; (4) Potential increased pavement service life (from improved compaction); and (5) Higher productivity at asphalt plants (higher throughput, less wear-and-tear, longer operating hours in areas with controlled stack emissions, etc). Caltrans has been evaluating WMA technologies under a variety of applications, including field test sections throughout the state (predominantly thin open-graded friction overlays) and Heavy Vehicle Simulator (HVS) and associated laboratory testing at the University of California Pavement Research Center (UCPRC). Three of the four WMA categories (organic, inorganic, and chemical foaming) have been evaluated in these studies. To date, all research has been undertaken on conventional HMA mixes. Now that the mechanisms and potential benefits of WMA are understood, the study needs to be extended to study additional variables. The use of WMA technologies in rubberized asphalt concrete (R-HMA) has been identified as the highest priority. Higher production and construction temperatures associated with R-HMA lead to more visible emissions (leading to shorter allowable production periods at some asphalt plants), poorer working conditions, and limited night and late season paving opportunities in cooler areas. The use of WMA technologies in R-HMA mixes could alleviate these problems thereby justifying increased use of R-HMA in paving projects.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 03 Jan 2013 15:10:28 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1234322</guid>
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      <title>PPRC 11 SPE: Laboratory and Accelerated Pavement Testing (APT) of Gap-Graded Rubberized Mixes (Hot Mix Asphalt and Warm Mix Asphalt) for the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle)</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1234192</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) is a suite of technologies that allows a reduction in temperatures for traditional hot-mix asphalt (HMA) production and paving. There are currently four different WMA categories (organic additives, inorganic additives, chemical foaming processes, and mechanical foaming processes), with more than 20 known technologies currently available in the United States. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), local government road authorities, and the construction industry are interested in evaluating WMA technologies used in conventional rubberized, and polymer modified asphalt mixes for: (1) Worker health and safety benefits (lower temperatures, less fumes); (2) Environmental benefits (reduced stack and construction emissions due to lower temperatures), (3) Opportunities to extend the paving season, undertake more night time paving, and to allow longer hauls of HMA, (4) Reduced greenhouse gas emissions due to reduced energy inputs (lower temperatures), (5) Potential increased pavement service life from improved compaction, and (6) Higher productivity at asphalt plants. Caltrans, through the University of California Pavement Research Center (UCPRC), has been evaluating WMA technologies in a phased research program under a variety of applications. The UCPRC research program includes laboratory testing, accelerated pavement testing, and field tests throughout the state. This program is a comprehensive, controlled study that will provide an indication of longer-term performance in a relatively short time period, thereby reducing the risk for road authorities in implementing the use of WMA technology on higher traffic roads. This Scope of Work (SOW) will assist Caltrans in completing its phased research of WMA technologies.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 03 Jan 2013 15:08:18 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1234192</guid>
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