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Aging of asphaltic binders investigated with atomic force microscopy
L.M. Rebelo
a
, J.S. de Sousa
a,
, A.S. Abreu
a
, M.P.M.A. Baroni
b
, A.E.V. Alencar
c
, S.A. Soares
c
,
J. Mendes Filho
a
, J.B. Soares
d
a
Departamento de Fsica, Universidade Federal do Cear, Caixa Postal 6030, Campus do Pici, 60455-760 Fortaleza, Cear, Brazil
b
Instituto Federal de Educao, Cincia e Tecnologia, 01109-010 So Paulo, Brazil
c
Departamento de Qumica, Universidade Federal do Cear, Brazil
d
Departamento de Engenharia de Transporte, Universidade Federal do Cear, Brazil
h i g h l i g h t s
The aging of bitumen is investigated with Atomic Force Microscopy.
The aging process cause an increase in size of the asphaltene micelles.
Short term aging induces the formation of fractal-like microstructures.
Stiffness increases half (one) order of magnitude for short (long) term aging.
Viscosity increases half-order of magnitude, mainly during short term aging.
a r t i c l e i n f o
Article history:
Received 20 June 2013
Received in revised form 19 August 2013
Accepted 6 September 2013
Available online 25 September 2013
Keywords:
Atomic force microscopy
Aging effects
Asphalt binders
a b s t r a c t
We investigated the short and long term aging of asphalt cement (AC) with different AFM techniques
(topography, phase and friction imaging and nano-indentation experiments). The aging process induces
a growth and nucleation of the asphaltene micelles with a concomitant reduction of the maltene phase,
whereas the short term aging induces the formation of fractal-like micellar structures. The friction inves-
tigation shows that the aging processes reduce the binder friction coefcient by 50%, and this reduction
occur predominantly during the short term aging, while the growth of the micelles occur predominantly
during the long term aging. The micro-indentation experiments revealed that the aging processes cause a
stiffening of the AC lm (half-order of magnitude for short term aging, and one order of magnitude for
long term aging). The aging process also increased the apparent viscosity of the AC lms by half-order
of magnitude.
2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction
Aging of asphalt cement (AC), or bitumen, is a key aspect that
can lead to premature deterioration of asphalt pavements [1].
ACs are affected by oxygen and ultraviolet radiation, which are
the main factors of the aging process. It occurs primarily during
mixing, but also during compaction and service. The material
undergoes chemical alterations that affect its mechanical proper-
ties, making it more viscous and brittle, thereby interfering in its
behavior under repetitive efforts. Several other factors affect the
aging process of the mixture: (i) asphalt characteristics, (ii) nature
of aggregates, (iii) particle size distribution, and (iv) air void con-
tent. Plant related parameters such as mixing temperatures and
time can also inuence mixture performance. Good adhesion be-
tween the asphalt binder and aggregates is also crucial for the con-
struction of durable pavements. One of the most common
problems that reduces the lifetime of pavements is the loss of
adhesion due to inltration of water between the aggregate and
the binder [2]. Therefore, the microscopy investigation of the adhe-
sion characteristics of asphalt binders is a very important topic of
research to future developments of pavement technology.
One of the greatest difculties to understand and predict as-
phalt pavement behavior is the high variability among different
AC sources with respect to their chemical composition and micro-
structure [36]. The worldwide increase of trafc volume demands
more resistant pavements, reduced maintenance interventions,
and increased life cycle. Temperature susceptibility is another
important variable. ACs must exhibit good rheological perfor-
mance in a wide range of temperatures, offering exibility in low
temperatures and rigidity in high temperatures to avoid thermal
and fatigue cracking, and permanent deformations. Although
empirical data and mechanistic approaches provide good indica-
tions of pavement performance, the fact that ACs are mixed with
0016-2361/$ - see front matter 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2013.09.018