Original Article

Laboratory investigation on the moisture susceptibility and fatigue resistance of hot mix asphalt modified with high- and low-density polyethylene plastic wastes

Authors:
Ma. Bernadeth B. Lim¹ , Ma. Luzell S. Delos Santos², Loren B. Matulac², Irene Ashley P. Rinonos² and Hector R. Lim, Jr.^3
1Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering and Agro-Industrial Technology, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines.
²Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering Graduates, Malayan Colleges Laguna, Cabuyao, Laguna, Philippines.
³Assistant Professor, Department of Engineering Science, College of Engineering and Agro-Industrial Technology, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines

ABSTRACT

The demand for better management of plastic wastes all over the world is increasing. Polymers such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) are examples of these wastes. Studies showed that these could be used as polymer modifiers that could improve asphalt pavement performance. Although several studies had been conducted to evaluate the performance of asphalt mixtures with HDPE and LDPE, conflicting results had been seen. Additional research is still needed to find out the true effect of plastic on the performance of asphalt mixtures. Hence, this study assessed the performance of hot mix asphalt (HMA) modified with HDPE and LDPE pellets. The Marshall mix design was used to prepare, evaluate HMA mixtures and determine the optimum percentage of HDPE and LDPE that can be added to HMA. Moreover, wheel-tracking, and immersion-compression tests were used to evaluate rutting resistance and compressive strength of HMA mixtures, respectively. Results showed that the addition of 8% HDPE and 8% LDPE by weight of bitumen are the optimum contents. The performance of the HMA mixtures with HDPE and LDPE in terms of fatigue resistance and moisture susceptibility shows improved results. This proves the potential use of the materials as polymer modifiers in HMA. Moreover, HMA with HDPE when compared to the HMA with LDPE shows better results in reducing the moisture susceptibility and improving the fatigue resistance of HMA.

Keywords: Marshall stability, optimum binder content, plastic wastes, polymer modified HMA

^{Available Online: 25 April 2022}

How to Cite:
Lim MBB, Delos Santos MLS, Matulac LB, Rinonos IAP and Lim Jr. HR. 2022. Laboratory investigation on the moisture susceptibility and fatigue resistance of hot mix asphalt modified with high- and low-density polyethylene plastic wastes. The Palawan Scientist, 14(1): 58-65. https://doi.org/10.69721/TPS.J.2022.14.1.07

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License