Epoxy resins are among the best matrix materials for many fiber composites comprise a group of

crosslinkable materials, possess the same type of reactive functional group, the epoxy or oxirane
group(1);their chemistry and technology have been reported in a number of texts .Epoxy resins
adhere well to a wide variety of fillers, reinforcing agents, and substrates Epoxy resins provide the
highest adhesive strength of any known polymeric material[1, 2]

O
C C
Figure 1.0

In the road pavement construction several modification have been explored as highlighted in
previous section and the benefits of all this modification techniques are sometimes limited under
some extreme conditions (e.g., at very high pavement temperatures )or certain unusual
locations(bus stop,intersections,long and steep climbing lane),these mix modification approaches
may not work. Therefore, it is worthwhile to explore more approaches to modify asphalt binders for
better bonding among aggregates and for a broader range of applicable traffic and climate
conditions. Epoxy asphalt is a two-phase system in which the continuous phase is a thermosetting
epoxy resin and the discontinuous phase is asphalt and curing agent. After curing, the material is not
only tough but also elastic over the range of expected pavement service temperature. When mixed
with dense-graded aggregates, the resulting mix will have a stiffness value between typical values of
a conventional dense-graded asphalt concrete and a cement concrete. It has high stability and good
resistance to cracking, rutting, and fatigue.[3].A study conducted [4]reported that epoxy modified
bitumen increased the viscosity,softening point,transition glass temperature and stability while there
was a decrease in the heat sensitivity,surface energy.penetration and stripping using 2%epoxy.It was
therefore recommended for use in hot climates, humid regions, in roads with heavy trafficloads, at
road curves and at bus stations to prevent rutting, bleed-ing, cracking, stripping and aging . Waste
epoxy powder could be substituted for epoxy resin for further economy and environmental
advantage.

Properties of a sample epoxy resin[4]

STATUS OF PHYSICAL LIQUID
EQUIVALENT WEIGHT OF EPOXY(G/EQ) 184-190
VISCOSITY(CPS/25oC 12,000-15,000
COLOUR(GARDENER) 1MAX
FLASH POINT 150
HDROLYZABLE CHLORINE(PPM) 1000
DENSITY(25OC) 1.16
In as much that Epoxy has the potential to improve pavement performance there exist drawbacks in
the utilization ranging from longer curing time needed to gain sufficient strength before it is
subjected to traffic which is also dependent on the type of epoxy asphalt and temperature. This is a
major problem when using epoxy for maintaining live traffic. Also the high cost of epoxy asphalt is a
big challenge which can cost up to five to ten times the price of regular binders[3]

1. Penn, L.S. and T. Chiao, Epoxy resins, in Handbook of composites. 1982, Springer. p. 57-88.
2. Tanaka, Y. and C.A. May, Epoxy resins: Chemistry and technology. 1973: Marcel Dekker.
3. Luo, S., Q. Lu, and Z. Qian, Performance evaluation of epoxy modified open-graded porous
asphalt concrete. Construction and Building Materials, 2015. 76: p. 97-102.
4. Cubuk, M., M. Gürü, and M.K. Çubuk, Improvement of bitumen performance with epoxy
resin. Fuel, 2009. 88(7): p. 1324-1328.