Examining the rheological and adhesion performance of asphalt: Insights into the influence of SARA components

Abstract

The role of chemical components is pivotal in determining the rheological and adhesion performance of asphalt binders. In this study, the saturate, aromatic, resin, and asphaltene (SARA) components were directly blended with the original asphalt in specific proportions, enabling a direct assessment of their influence on critical asphalt properties. Various tests, including frequency sweep, temperature sweep, and multiple stress creep and recovery tests, were conducted, followed by the utilization of master curves to analyze the rheological properties of SARA-doped asphalt. Additionally, binder bond strength tests were performed to evaluate the adhesion properties of SARA-doped asphalt binders. The research outcomes revealed that the complex modulus, rutting factor, creep and recovery behaviors increased with higher asphaltene and resin proportions, while diminishing with elevated saturate and aromatic proportions. Analysis of the Glover–Rowe (G-R) parameter variation indicated that increasing the proportion of aromatic and saturate components can enhance cracking resistance, with the aromatic component playing a particularly significant role in this enhancement. Furthermore, augmenting the proportion of heavy components was found to enhance the adhesion performance between asphalt and commonly used aggregates. Notably, the pattern of interfacial failure transitioned from cohesive failure to adhesive failure gradually with rising proportions of heavy components.