Construction and Building Materials 149 (2017) 350–358

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Construction and Building Materials

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Assessment of mechanical properties of rice husk ash modified asphalt

mixture
Mahyar Arabani ⇑, Seyed Amid Tahami
Department of Civil Engineering, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran

h i g h l i g h t s

The feasibility of using rice husk ash as an asphalt modifier in hot mix asphalt was investigated.

The addition of RHA to asphalt binder improved the rheological and physical properties of asphalt binder.

The use of RHA enhanced the Marshall stability and stiffness modulus of asphalt mixtures.

Asphalt mixtures with RHA showed better rutting resistance and fatigue performance than control mixtures.

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Using rice husk ash (RHA), as a waste byproduct of rice milling, in bituminous roadways provides valu-
Received 17 May 2016 able advantages such as reduction of environmental degradation, lowering construction costs and saving
Received in revised form 1 May 2017 natural resources. However, there are limited numbers of studies on application of this material in
Accepted 12 May 2017
asphalt mixture. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of RHA as an asphalt modifier
on hot mix asphalt. Bitumen blends with 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% RHA modifier. For evaluation of the rhe-
ological properties of asphalt binders, various tests including penetration grade, ductility, softening point,
Keywords:
rotational viscosity and dynamic shear rheometer were conducted. Also, the mechanical properties of
Rice husk ash
Hot mix asphalt
asphalt mixtures including Marshall stability, stiffness modulus, rutting resistance and fatigue behavior
Conventional binder tests were assessed. The results showed that the rheological properties of bitumen were enhanced by adding
Dynamic shear rheometer RHA. Furthermore, RHA modification had positive impacts on the Marshall stability, stiffness modulus,
Stiffness modulus rutting strength and fatigue performance of asphalt mixtures.
Marshall stability Ó 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Rutting resistance
Fatigue behavior

1. Introduction performance of asphalt mixtures [4]. Since asphalt binder is one

Due to high road construction costs, researchers should find
correct mix design and proper materials to enhance the efficiency
of road construction and increase the pavement service life [1].
Increasing axle loads, traffic volume, construction and design
errors cause major damages in asphalt pavement including rutting,
fatigue and low temperature cracking that reduce the performance
of road pavement [2]. These damages lead to an increment of
maintenance cost and decrease in the service life of road. In addi-
tion, the properties of asphalt binder like viscoelastic behavior,
strength, and rate of plastic deformation are closely related to
these damages [3]. Asphalt binder due to its viscoelastic character-
istics, cohesiveness, and strength plays a critical role in the
⇑ Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: arabani@guilan.ac.ir (M. Arabani), amidtahami378@yahoo.
com (S.A. Tahami).
of the main components of hot mix asphalt (HMA) used in highway
and airport pavements, modification of asphalt binder is the effec-
tive method for enhancement of the mechanical properties of
asphalt mixtures [5]. In recent years, asphalt modifiers from differ-
ent categories including reclaimed rubber products, fillers, fibers,
catalysts, polymers (natural and synthetic) and extenders have
been applied as an asphalt modifier to enhance the properties of
asphalt binder [6]. Selecting an appropriate modifier is related to
different factors such as geographical conditions, existing facilities
in various countries, economic issues, production of modifier and
environmental compatibility [7].
Many investigations should be performed on reusing waste
materials in asphalt concrete mixtures, and the impact of using
waste materials on performance of asphalt concrete mixtures
should be evaluated [8]. Raising concerns about environmental
protection, energy preservation and economic issues have been
motivating researchers to find other alternative raw materials in

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2017.05.127
0950-0618/Ó 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
 M. Arabani, S.A. Tahami / Construction and Building Materials 149 (2017) 350–358
the asphalt pavement industry. Investigations have indicated that
waste materials can be successfully used as filler, aggregate and
asphalt modifier in asphalt mixtures (e.g., seashells, recycled
aggregates, glass, waste brick, waste tire and reclaimed asphalt
pavement [9–13]).
The burning of solid biomass can mainly produce two by-
products which are fly and bottom ashes. Due to increasing the
production of energy by this source, the disposal of produced ashes
has caused environmental and economic problems. Also, different
types of ashes are considerably considered to use in bituminous
and cementitious mixtures [14]. Sharma et al. [15] studied the
effects of four types of fly ashes on asphalt mastic and HMA. In this
study, the rheological properties of asphalt mastic were evaluated
from softening point test, viscosity test, and dynamic shear
rheometer test. Also, Marshall stability, retained stability, tensile
strength ratio, and static creep tests were performed to assess
the properties of different asphalt mixtures. It was concluded that
four groups of fly ashes could be used in asphalt mixtures and
asphalt mixtures containing fly ash had better properties com-
pared to the control mixture. In 2016, researchers investigated
the effects of date seed ash on moisture sensitivity of asphalt mix-
tures using surface free energy method. They found that date seed
ash could improve the adhesion between aggregate materials and
asphalt binder that led to an increase in moisture resistance of
modified asphalt mixtures [16].
Rice husk is obtained as a waste material from agricultural and
industrial processes. RHA is the by-product produced during the
combustion of rice husk waste in combustor facilities. RHA can
be considered as agro-industry waste [17]. The annual worldwide
paddy rice production is about 678 million tons which leads to pro-
duction of 149.16 million tons of rice husks, and by burning this
volume of rice husks; 37 million tons of RHA are produced [18].
Many rice milling plants have been supplying their fuel by burning
rice husk. This huge amount of produced rice husk ash is useless
and leads to economic and environmental concerns. In order to
overcome these issues, many researchers have investigated the
characteristics of rice husk ash and found that rice husk ash can
be used as a supplementary cementitious material in concrete for
enhancing the mechanical properties and durability of concrete
[19–21]. Recently, some attempts have been made by researchers
to study the feasibility of using rice husk ash in asphalt pavement.
In this regard, a research was conducted by Sargin et al. [22] on
using RHA as filler in asphalt mixtures. The application of rice husk
ash as a replacement of virgin filler in the rate of 25%, 50%, 75%, and
100% was evaluated by Marshall stability test. It was found that
asphalt mixtures containing the combination of 50% limestone
powder and 50% RHA as filler exhibited the best performance in
terms of Marshall stability and Marshall flow. In a research, rice
husk ash was added to asphalt binder, and the effects of RHA on
chemical properties of asphalt binder were analyzed by Fourier
Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, and it was observed that there
is no chemical interaction between asphalt binder and RHA. Fur-
thermore, the physical properties of binder were improved by
addition of RHA. Besides, the storage stability of asphalt binders
modified with RHA was stable [23].
2. Problem statement and objectives
Iran is located in West Asia where there are many rice agricul-
tural lands, hence causing the high production of rice, which sub-
sequently produces rice husk in large volume at rice mill factories.
This volume of produced rice husk is used as fuel in factories,
resulting in generating large amount of rice husk ash. This leads
to many problems such as disposal and environmental problems.
Although rice husk ash is widely applied in many fields such as
351
concrete construction, the application of rice husk ash in asphalt
mixtures is still in the early stages. Many aspects of using rice husk
ash in asphalt mixtures were not studied. In this study, two steps
were considered in order to assess the effects of rice husk ash on
asphalt binder and mixture. As the first step, various laboratory
tests for asphalt binder properties such as penetration grade, soft-
ening point, ductility, rotational viscosity (RV) and dynamic shear
rheometer (DSR) were conducted to examine the rheological char-
acteristics of modified asphalt binders. As the second step, the per-
formance tests including Marshall stability, indirect tensile
stiffness modulus (ITSM), repeated load axial (RLA) and indirect
tensile fatigue (ITF) were used to study the mechanical properties
of HMAs.
3. Materials and experimental design
3.1. Aggregates
In this study, crushed and sharp-edged aggregates were used for preparation of
HMAs. Table 1 presents the physical properties of the aggregates. The aggregates
grading for asphalt mixtures was obtained from the continuous type IV scale of
the AASHTO standard [24] which is listed in Table 2.
3.2. Asphalt binder
The asphalt binder 60/70-penetration grade from Isfahan Mineral Oil Refinery
was used in this study. The laboratory tests were carried out in order to assess
the conventional rheological properties of asphalt binder. The test results of the
asphalt binder used in this study are summarized in Table 3.
3.3. Rice husk ash
Rice husk was collected from a local rice mill plant from Guilan Province in the
northern part of Iran. Fig. 1 shows rice husk and prepared rice husk ash used in this
study. The RHA used for this investigation was produced by burning rice husks at
650 °C in the furnace for 2 h. The ash was ground in a ball mill for 15 min and then
was passed through the sieve size 0.075 mm. It was reported that the combustion
condition affects the specific surface area of rice husk ash. Therefore, producing
maximum reactivity of ash depends on temperature and environment [25]. The
highest amount of reactivity is obtained by burning rice husk at the temperature
of about 500–700 °C [26]. The chemical compositions of the RHA which was deter-
mined by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) are presented in Table 4.
3.4. Sample preparation
The asphalt mixtures were prepared using the standard Marshall mix design
procedure with 75 blows on each side of the cylindrical specimens. The optimum
asphalt content was found to be 5.6% for the control mixture. In this study all
HMA samples were made with 5.6% asphalt content in order to maintain consis-
tency throughout the research. For each test (Marshall, stiffness modulus, repeated
axial load and fatigue test), three samples were fabricated and tested.
For modification of asphalt binder with RHA, asphalt binder was heated at
around 160 °C. Then, RHA was blended with asphalt binder at a speed of
2500 rpm for 30 min to obtain the required homogeneity. Five RHA contents were
used: 0%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% in terms of total asphalt binder weight.
Table 1
Properties of aggregates.
Test Specification Result
Coarse aggregates
Bulk specific gravity (g/cm3) ASTM C 127 2.633
SSD specific gravity (g/cm3) 2.641
Apparent specific gravity (g/cm3) 2.663
Fine aggregates
Bulk specific gravity (g/cm3) ASTM C 128 2.638
SSD specific gravity (g/cm3) 2.645
Apparent specific gravity (g/cm3) 2.664
Abrasion loss (%) (Los Angeles) ASTM C 131 24.1
Flat and elongated particles (%) ASTM D 4791 17.2
352 M. Arabani, S.A. Tahami / Construction and Building Materials 149 (2017) 350–358

Table 2
Gradation of aggregates used in the study.

Sieve (mm) 19 12.5 4.75 2.36 0.3 0.075

Lower-upper limits 100 90–100 77–74 28–58 5–21 2–10
Passing (%) 100 95 59 43 13 6

Table3 4.2. Dynamic shear rheometer test

Conventional rheological properties of base asphalt binder.

Test Specification Result In order to characterize the fundamental rheological properties

Flash point (°C) ASTM D92 261
of asphalt binders, the DSR test was performed. This test can
Softening point (°C) ASTM D36 51 describe properly the elastic and viscous behaviors of asphalt bin-
Loss of heating (%) ASTM D1754 0.75 ders at intermediate to high temperatures [29]. The complex mod-
Specific gravity (25°; g/cm3) ASTM D70 1.022 ulus (G⁄) and the phase angle (d) are principal viscoelastic
Ductility (25°; cm) ASTM D113 110
parameters, which are measured in this test. The parameter G⁄ pro-
Penetration index (25°; 0.1 mm) ASTM D5 63
vides information about the resistance of asphalt binder to defor-
mation when it is subjected to shear loading. The Parameter d
shows time lag between the applied shear stresses and shear-
strain responses [5]. Analyzing these two parameters can predict
the behavior of asphalt binder such as its rutting potential. Param-
eter G⁄/Sind, called the rutting parameter, represents the rutting
resistance of asphalt binder [30]. Asphalt samples with 1 mm
thickness and 25 mm diameter were tested with a frequency of
10 rad/s and at temperature of 46, 52, 58, 64, 70 and 76 °C accord-
ing to ASTM-D7175 standard test method. The G⁄/Sind value for
unaged asphalt binders is recommended to be greater than 1 kPa
according to ASTM-D7175.

4.3. Marshall test

Marshall test was conducted to evaluate Marshall stability and

Fig. 1. Rice husk and obtained rice husk ash used in this study.
4. Experimental procedure
4.1. Conventional asphalt binder tests
The conventional physical properties of base and modified
asphalt binder with different RHA contents were evaluated by dif-
ferent tests including ductility, softening point and penetration
grade. The softening point of asphalt binder was determined in
accordance with ASTM-D36. Also, the ductility test was conducted
in accordance with ASTM-D113 standard. The penetration of test
can indicate the hardness of asphalt binder, which was performed
in accordance with ASTM-D5. The viscosity test was carried out
using a Brookfield rotational viscometer to measure the viscosities
of modified and unmodified asphalt binders at 135 °C according to
ASTM D-4402 standard. The penetration index (PI) is considered as
a measure of temperature susceptibility of asphalt binders. The
temperature susceptibility of modified asphalt binders was calcu-
lated using the results obtained from penetration and softening
point tests as follows [27,28]:
1952  500 logðPen25Þ  20  SP
PI ¼
50 logðPen25Þ  SP  120
where Pen25 is the penetration at 25 °C and SP is the softening
point of unmodified and modified asphalt binder.
flow of conventional and RHA modified asphalt mixtures in accor-
dance with ASTM-D1559.The optimum bitumen content of mix-
tures was determined by this test. Asphalt mixes were immersed
in water bath at 60 °C for 30 min, and then the loading with a con-
stant rate of compression of 50.8 mm/min was applied. Marshall
stability indicates the resistance of asphalt mixtures to pressure,
horizontal and shear stress induced from the loading [31]. One of
the important data obtained from Marshall test is the ratio of sta-
bility (kN) to flow (mm), which is stated as the Marshall quotient
(MQ). By assessing MQ, the asphalt mixture strength against per-
manent deformation and rutting would be predicted [32,33].
4.4. ITSM test
The stiffness modulus of mixtures was obtained by ITSM test
using Universal Testing Machine (UTM) according to ASTM-
D4123. The stiffness modulus is an important factor for assessing
the capacity of asphalt pavement to bear dynamic loads. The stiff-
ness modulus also can demonstrate the performance of asphalt
pavement such as fatigue behavior and creep compliance [34].
The load-spreading ability of asphalt layers and viscoelastic behav-
ior of asphalt mixes can be analyzed using stiffness modulus [35].
This test was performed by applying repeated load with a haver-
ð1Þ sine waveform (loading = 0.1 s and rest = 0.9 s). In this study,
asphalt specimens with a diameter of 101 mm and a height of
65 mm were tested at different temperatures of 5, 25 and 40 °C.
Based on the test data, the stiffness modulus was computed
according to the following Eq. (2):

Table 4
Results of chemical analysis on RHA.

Compositions CaO SiO2 Al2O3 Na2O K2O MgO ZnO SrO Fe2O3 SO3 LOI
Content (%) 1.03 91.42 0.114 1.12 2.596 0.821 0.016 0.005 0.197 0.572 2.109
 M. Arabani, S.A. Tahami / Construction and Building Materials 149 (2017) 350–358
Pðm þ 0:27Þ
Sm ¼
tDH
where Sm is stiffness modulus (MPa), P is repeated load (N), t is the
sample’s thickness (mm), DH is recoverable horizontal deformation
(mm) and m is Poisson ratio (assumed to be 0.35).
4.5. Repeated load axial test
The occurrence of creeping is considered as one of the main
problems in asphalt pavement layers. The creeping phenomenon
is occurred in asphalt pavement when the gradual deformation is
created under loads [36]. By passing wheels, the deep tracks (rut-
ting) are generated in pavement layers, which can be increased
with time [37]. For assessment of rutting performance of asphalt
mixtures various tests such as the Marshall test, the static creep
test, the dynamic creep test, the repeated axial load test and the
wheel-tracking test are applied [38]. As shown in Fig. 2, there are
three distinct stages for accumulative permanent strain: In the pri-
mary stage the rate of strain gradually decreases and the perma-
nent deformation accumulates rapidly; in the second stage the
strain rate decreases and becomes approximately constant; in
the third stage the permanent deformation starts to grow, and
strain rate rapidly increases until failure occurs [39]. In this study,
to evaluate the effect of modification of asphalt binder with RHA
on the permanent deformation behavior of asphalt mixtures, RLA
test was used. The cylindrical specimens with a diameter of
101 mm and a height of 70 mm were tested by applying dynamic
stress of 150, 250 or 350 kPa for 1 h at different temperatures of
40 and 60 °C. In this test, each sample was subjected to a condi-
tional stress of 10 kPa for 600 s. Next, after removing the condi-
tioning stress, the stress of 150, 250 or 350 kPa was applied for
1000 cycles, which consisted of a 1 s loading period and a 1 s
unloading period.
4.6. Indirect tensile fatigue test
Fatigue damages can be regarded as the main distresses in
asphalt pavement, as the fatigue cracks are generated in the certain
time of pavement service life. Also, propagation of cracking on sur-
face of pavement indicates the loss of cohesion in asphalt mixture
[40]. Fatigue resistance can be improved using the following two
methods: (1) the use of modified bitumen and (2) reinforcement
of asphalt mixtures [34]. There are generally three distinct stages
for the occurrence of fatigue phenomenon: (1) crack initiation:
increment of microcracks, (2) crack propagation: growth of macro-
cracks out of microcracks leading to stable crack expansion and, (3)
disintegration: collapse and final failure of the materials owing to
Fig. 2. Three-stage permanent creep curve.
353
unstable crack expansion [41]. Researches showed that the fatigue
ð2Þ
cracking of the asphalt layer arises from repeated tensile strains
caused by traffic loads. In addition, it was determined that the cre-
ated strain at the bottom of the asphalt pavement is related to the
number of cycles for failure [42,43]. Fatigue behavior of asphalt
pavements can be predicted by various models. A linear relation-
ship between the logarithm of the initial tensile strain and the log-
arithm of the fatigue life can be developed by a regression analysis.
Using a regression analysis, the Wohler’s fatigue prediction model
is established according to Eq. (3) [44,45]:
Nf ¼ k1 ek
t
2
ð3Þ
where Nf is the number of cycles to failure of sample; k1 and k2 are
the coefficients related to the mixture properties and et is initial
strain (microstrain).
In this study, the fatigue behavior of HMA samples with 40 mm
height and 101 mm diameter were measured by applying stress of
250 kPa at 20 °C. The loading time was 0.1 s, and 0.4 s was consid-
ered for rest period.
5. Results
5.1. Convectional bitumen test results
The results of conventional tests such as penetration grade,
softening point and ductility for base and modified asphalt binders
are given in Table 5. As seen in Table 5, by adding RHA to asphalt
binder the rheological properties of asphalt binder were improved.
Based on the data, penetration grade of modified asphalt binder
was reduced, whereas softening point of asphalt binder was
improved. Reducing penetration makes the asphalt binder stiffer,
which causes its strength against mechanical damage to improve
[29]. The increase of the softening point is desirable, as the asphalt
binder with high softening point is less susceptible to permanent
deformation, therefore asphalt mixtures prepared with this asphalt
binder could have better rutting performance. Also, The softening
point changes are quietly similar to viscosity changes; actually,
these two properties are closely related since it is logical that bitu-
men with high softening point are also more viscous than those
having low softening point. Table 5 also illustrates that ductility
decreased with an increase of the RHA content in the asphalt bin-
der. As shown in Table 5, increasing the RHA content caused an
increment of viscosity. One of the basic rheological properties of
asphalt binder is its viscosity, which can be regarded as a demon-
strator of fluid resistance against shear [46,47]. If modified asphalt
binder has too high viscosity, it causes the asphalt mixture too
hard to compact in the pavement construction and forming an eli-
gible pavement surface would be difficult. Therefore, it is better to
control the RHA amount in order to have proper viscosity. The rota-
tional viscosity results revealed that the RHA can enhance the high
temperature performance. However, the higher content of RHA
would increase the constructing difficulty. According to the Table 5,
penetration index of asphalt binder was increased as the RHA con-
tent increased. Therefore, the temperature susceptibility of binders
was decreased by increasing the content of RHA. The penetration
index varies from 3 to 7. Bitumen with high thermal susceptibil-
ity has PI of 3, and asphalt binder with PI of 7 is non-susceptible
to variation of temperature [29]. Asphalt binder with higher pene-
tration index yields less temperature susceptibility that leads to an
improvement in rutting resistance and reduction in low tempera-
ture cracking [48]. It can be inferred from rheological test results
that modification of asphalt binder with RHA could have positive
effect on improving temperature susceptibility, rutting perfor-
mance and low temperature cracking.
354 M. Arabani, S.A. Tahami / Construction and Building Materials 149 (2017) 350–358
Table 5
Basic properties of RHA modified bitumen binders.
Property Base bitumen Bitumen with 5% RHA
Penetration (25 C), 0.1 mm 63 61.2
Softening point (C) 51 53.1
Ductility (25 °C) (cm) 110 103.2
Penetration index -0.398 0.040
Rotational viscosity at 135 C (Pa s) 2.41 2.53
5.2. DSR test results
Figs. 3 and 4 present the complex modulus and the phase angle
versus temperature for modified and unmodified binders. As can
be seen from Fig. 3, modification of asphalt binder with RHA led
to an increment in G⁄. It is obvious that G⁄ decreases as the temper-
ature increases. This is due to an increased the tendency of bitu-
men to flow by increasing temperature, reducing the strength of
binder to rutting. As shown in Fig. 3, the complex modulus of mod-
ified binders increased with the increase of RHA content, meaning
that the resistance to deformation under dynamic loading would
increase by the addition of RHA. Conversely, the G⁄ values of
RHA modified asphalt binder reduced with the increment of test
temperatures at any RHA contents indicating that the resistance
to deformation under dynamic loading would reduce continuously
as the DSR temperature increased constantly. Fig. 4 indicates that
the phase angle of asphalt binder was affected by addition of
RHA, and with increasing RHA contents; the phase angle of the
modified asphalt binders was decreased considerably. The phase
angle is much sensitive to the physical and chemical structure of
modified asphalt binder. Asphalt binders are considered as vis-
coelastic material. When phase angle is 90° the asphalt binder
showed purely viscous behavior, while a phase angle of 0° corre-
sponds to purely elastic behavior. This showed that the RHA mod-
ified asphalt binders exhibited better elastic behavior compared to
the base binder at high temperature, which can affect positively
the behavior of modified HMA samples under loading.
The rutting parameter of base and modified asphalt binders
have been described in Fig. 5. It is seen from Fig. 5 that modified
asphalt binders had better G⁄/d than base binder, and the rutting
parameter of modified asphalt binder was increased with increas-
ing RHA content, which illustrated that modification of asphalt
binder with RHA could produce stiffer asphalt binder that resulted
in an increase in resistance of asphalt binder against rutting. It is
possible to state that the RHA powders due to its high surface area
Fig. 3. Complex modulus of all asphalt binders.
Bitumen with 10% RHA Bitumen with 15% RHA Bitumen with 20% RHA
59.1 58.2 57.3
57.7 60.1 61.5
95.9 92.1 89.5
0.985 1.442 1.678
2.57 2.61 2.68
can play the filling and reinforcing role in the asphalt binder and
strengthen the bond between asphalt binder particles. Therefore,
it is more difficult to break the bond between them unless the tem-
perature is high enough. The above role can raise the viscosity and
adhesion of asphalt binder and enhance the functional behavior of
asphalt binder and reduce its sensitivity to the rutting. The Addi-
tion of RHA also caused an improvement in the asphalt binder per-
formance at higher temperatures since RHA modified asphalt
binder had better ability to maintain elasticity at high temperature
in comparison with base asphalt binder. As seen in Fig. 5, when G⁄/
Sind was equal to 1 kPa the temperature of asphalt binders was
approximately 70.9 °C for base asphalt binder, and it was 73.1 °C,
74.8 °C, 76.4 °C and 78.4 °C for RHA modified asphalt binders with
the contents of 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%, respectively.
5.3. Marshall test results
The Marshall stability of the HMA mixtures is shown in Fig. 6.
As shown in Fig. 6, using RHA could improve the stability of mix-
tures, and by increasing the RHA content, the stability was
increased. But, it is observed that this increasing trend was reduced
when 20% RHA was used. The mixtures prepared with 5% RHA and
20% RHA had 12% and 32% higher stability than control mixture,
respectively. Also, the stability of mixture with 15% RHA was 3%
lower than that of the mixture made with 20% RHA. The MQ value
for HMA mixtures is represented in Fig. 7. It can be seen in Fig. 7
that the addition of RHA could be effective in enhancing the MQ
of asphalt mixtures. The higher MQ value indicates that the asphalt
mixture is stiffer and has better resistance against permanent
deformation [32,33]. The MQ values of control, 5% RHA, 10% RHA,
15% RHA and 20% RHA were found to be 3.68, 4.26, 4.82, 5.49
and 5.62, respectively. The MQ value of the mixture containing
20% RHA was increased by 52%. It should be noted that the MQ
value of 20% RHA mixture was merely 2% higher than that of 15%
RHA mixture, which is not significant. It is shown that modifiers
 M. Arabani, S.A. Tahami / Construction and Building Materials 149 (2017) 350–358 355

Fig. 4. Phase angle for all asphalt binders.

Fig. 5. Rutting parameter for all asphalt binders.

help and strengthen the bonds between bitumen particles, which
consequently contribute to adhesion ability among aggregates of
hot asphalt mixtures [49]. One reason for the increase in adhesion
among aggregates in modified mix is that RHA with porous struc-
ture has a strong tendency to adsorb asphalt binder, which can
make the asphalt binder film on aggregates thicker, and the con-
tent of free asphalt binder is decreased as a result. This enhances
the adhesive force between asphalt and aggregates and improves
the overall ability of the asphalt mixture to bear loads.

1800
1600
1400 6
Stability (KN)

1200 5
1000
MQ(KN/mm)

4
800
3
600
2
400
200 1
0 0
0 5 10 15 20 0 5 10 15 20
RHA content (%) RHA content (%)

Fig. 6. Marshall stability for all mixtures. Fig. 7. MQ values for all mixtures.
356 M. Arabani, S.A. Tahami / Construction and Building Materials 149 (2017) 350–358
5.4. ITSM test results
Fig. 8 shows the stiffness modulus of all HMA samples at tem-
perature of 5, 25 and 40 °C. As seen, by increasing the temperate,
the stiffness modulus in asphalt mixtures was decreased notably.
In all cases the stiffness modulus at 5 °C was approximately 2
times higher than stiffness modulus at 40 °C, which demonstrated
the impact of temperature on stiffness of asphalt pavement. As it is
expected, adding RHA caused the stiffness of mixtures to increase,
and at any temperature the stiffness modulus of 20% RHA mixture
was greater compared to those of other mixes because the viscos-
ity of RHA modified asphalt binder was higher than that of base
asphalt binder. Also, Based on DSR test results, modification of bin-
der with RHA resulted in an improvement of G⁄, which modified
the viscoelastic properties of the asphalt mastic and affected the
mixture’s stiffness. This observation indicated that asphalt mixes
containing RHA was expected to have better resistance to perma-
nent deformation. In addition, it is seen that the difference
between stiffness modulus of control asphalt mixtures and RHA
modified asphalt mixtures at higher temperatures is increased.
For instance, the stiffness modulus of 20% RHA mixture at 5 °C
was 43% higher than those of control mixtures, while at 40 °C the
stiffness of 20% RHA samples was 106% higher than those of con-
ventional samples. It was reported that the viscosity and stiffness
modulus of asphalt binder decreases at higher temperatures. In
consequence of decreasing the viscosity and stiffness modulus of
asphalt binder, the adhesion between the aggregates declines
and aggregates materials of the mixture could be easily slid. Thus,
the stiffness modulus and high temperature performance of the
mixture reduced significantly [10]. As the rheological test results
revealed, the addition of RHA could enhance the temperature sus-
ceptibility of bitumen, therefore the increase in temperature had
lower effect on mixtures prepared with RHA modified binder in
comparison with unmodified mixes.
5.5. RLA test results
Figs. 9 and 10 present the final strain for unmodified and mod-
ified mixtures at different stresses and temperatures. Figures show
that unmodified asphalt mixtures had more permanent deforma-
tion compared to the RHA modified asphalt mixtures. For each
temperature and stress, the amount of final strain for mixtures
made with various RHA contents was less than that of control mix-
tures. It can be seen from Figures that the addition of RHA caused a
decrease in the final strain of mixtures, and with the growth of the
RHA percentage, the extent of permanent deformations in the
asphalt mixtures decreases. The reason can be the effect of RHA
Fig. 8. Stiffness modulus for all mixtures.
on the thermal sensitivity of asphalt binder and mixture. The high
effect of temperature is owing to the high sensitivity of asphalt
binder and mixture to temperature, so that by increasing the tem-
perature, the asphalt binder starts to flow and in this state, it can-
not do its main role which is providing enough adhesion for
asphalt mixture, therefore with application of loading, the perma-
nent deformation is generated and the behavior of asphalt mixes
enter the plastic case as soon as possible. The important point is
the addition of RHA could reduce the impact of temperature on
the behavior of HMA and modified HMAs could properly maintain
their resistance at high temperatures. It should be mentioned, add-
ing RHA up to 15% had considerable effect on enhancing the rutting
resistance of mixtures, but the difference between final strain of
mixtures with 15% and 20% RHA was not significant. For instance,
asphalt mixture with 20% RHA had 3% less final strain than asphalt
mixture with 15% RHA at 40 °C and at the stress level of 350 kPa.
Furthermore, it is well known that the stiffness modulus can play
a key role in resistance of asphalt mixtures to rutting failure.
According to the ITSM test results, RHA modified asphalt mixtures
had higher stiffness modulus, which resulted in reducing rutting
susceptibility.
DSR test results indicated that modification of asphalt binder
with RHA could improve the rutting parameter of asphalt binders.
Also, DSR results revealed that the modified binders had better
elasticity compared to base binder at high temperatures. As
expected, the effects modification on rutting performance of
asphalt mixtures made with RHA modified asphalt binder could
be observed. Therefore, DSR results supported the remarks derived
by stiffness modulus and RLA analysis and further validated labo-
ratory measurements.
Fig. 9. Final strain for all mixtures at 40 °C.
Fig. 10. Final strain for all mixtures at 60 °C.
 M. Arabani, S.A. Tahami / Construction and Building Materials 149 (2017) 350–358 357

100000

10000

Strain (µm/m) 1000

100

10
100 1000 10000 100000
Cycles to failure

60-70 5% RHA 10% RHA 15% RHA 20% RHA

Fig. 11. Fatigue life of all mixtures.

Table 6
5.6. ITF test results
Fatigue prediction equations of HMA samples.

The ITF test results are shown in Fig. 11. It can be seen that
asphalt mixes containing RHA showed better fatigue performance
in comparison with control mixes. A linear relationship between
the logarithm of the initial strain and the logarithm of the fatigue
life was seen. The results demonstrated that the addition of 15%
RHA caused a significant improvement in fatigue performance of
asphalt mixtures, and the highest fatigue life was obtained for mix-
tures with 15% RHA. The fatigue life of asphalt mixtures with 20%
RHA was less than mixture with 15% RHA. This might be due to the
higher stiffness of 20% RHA mixture. Because the asphalt mixture
with high stiffness is prone to more brittle and has less resistance
to fatigue cracks. The most probable reason for enhancing the fati-
gue life of modified mixes was the improvement of adhesion
between RHA modified asphalt binder and aggregates. It was men-
tioned that an increase in viscosity of binder is effective in improv-
ing adhesion between aggregate and asphalt binder, causing an
enhancement in HMA performance [50,51]. RHA particles by help-
ing the asphalt binder particles to form stronger adhesion charac-
teristic, has held the aggregates together with stronger bonds and
the asphalt mixtures with stronger adhesive factor exhibits more
appropriate performance. Also, decreasing the air void of the mix-
tures by adding RHA can be another reason for enhancement of
fatigue life, since the air void values for control, 5% RHA, 10%
RHA, 15% RHA and 20% RHA mixtures were obtained as 3.46%,
3.34%, 3.21%, 3.15%, and 3.17%, respectively. The fatigue equations
are shown in Table 6 for modified and unmodified mixtures.
According to test results obtained in this study, the noticeable dif-
ference between the mechanical properties of mixtures with 15%
RHA and 20% RHA was not observed, but in the case of fatigue per-
formance, asphalt mixtures made with 15% RHA had better fatigue
life than mixtures made with 20% RHA. Owing to the asphalt bin-
der ability to bear tensile stress, the role of asphalt binder to resist
the cracking in HMA is much higher than that of aggregates. More-
over, when the repetition of loading is increased to a certain extent,
ordinary asphalt binder will not be able to bear the excessive ten-
sile stress and cracking will occur. Therefore, reinforcing and mod-
ifying ordinary asphalt binders can be regarded as efficient ways to
prevent fatigue cracking caused by repeated loading. The above-
mentioned points can highlight the importance of asphalt binder
properties in the behavior of hot mix asphalt. In fact, it should be
noted that in this research, the addition of RHA to asphalt binder
can reduce the intensity of the cracks caused by the fatigue phe-
nomenon and postpone its time. In summary, 15% RHA asphalt
Mixture Fatigue equation R2
1.406
Control HMA Nf = 4E + 07e 0.92
HMA with 5% RHA Nf = 1E + 08e1.486 0.94
HMA with 10% RHA Nf = 2E + 09e1.436 0.91
HMA with 15% RHA Nf = 4E + 09e1.598 0.93
HMA with 20% RHA Nf = 2E + 10e1.753 0.94
sample was the better mix with respect to fatigue resistance, while
20% RHA sample was the better mix regarding rutting resistance.
6. Conclusion
From test results the following conclusions were drawn:

The increase in RHA content led to an increase in softening
point and reduction in penetration of bitumen, resulting in stif-
fer asphalt binder. Besides, addition of RHA increased the vis-
cosity of asphalt binder. Also, PI was enhanced with
increasing RHA content that caused a reduction in thermal sus-
ceptibility of asphalt binder.

DSR test results showed that RHA modified asphalt binder
exhibited higher complex modules (G⁄) and lower phase angle
(d) in comparison with base binder. Also, the rutting parameter
(G⁄/sind) was improved with increasing RHA content for all
experiment temperatures. These changes in rheological proper-
ties of asphalt binders led to an enhancement in performance of
HMAs made with RHA modified binder.

Modification of asphalt binder with RHA could improve stability
of mixtures. But, the increasing trend of stability was decreased
significantly by adding 20% RHA. Besides, MQ as an indicator of
rutting resistance of asphalt mixture was positively promoted
by addition of RHA.

Stiffness modulus of RHA modified asphalt mixtures was higher
than those of conventional mixtures. This enhancement was
more considerable at higher temperatures, as the thermal sen-
sitivity of RHA modified binders was improved, resulted in bet-
ter performance of RHA mixes at high temperatures.

The addition of RHA could improve significantly the rutting
resistance of HMAs at different stresses and temperatures that
could be attributed to the improvement of rutting parameter
and elastic behavior of modified binders. Also, the rutting per-
formance of HMAs with 15% RHA and 20% RHA are almost
similar.
358 M. Arabani, S.A. Tahami / Construction and Building Materials 149 (2017) 350–358

According to fatigue test results, mixtures containing RHA
exhibited better fatigue life compared to control mixtures. This
enhancement might be due to reduction of air void in mixture
and/or improvement of adhesion between binder and aggre-
gates. The mixture with 15% RHA had the highest fatigue life.
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