Recycled Plastic Waste Asphalt Concrete via Mineral

Aggregate Substitution and Binder Modification

M. A. Dalhat 1; H. I. Al-Abdul Wahhab 2; and Khaleel Al-Adham 3
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Abstract: Plastic waste (PW) has long been identified among the direct and indirect primary sources of environmental pollution. Currently,
global PW generation is more than 300 million tons annually and is increasing at a rate of 4% per year. Recycling has been recognized as a key
technique, among others, for addressing the environmental hazards associated with PW. Prior studies on the modification of asphalt concrete
(AC) using PW have been mostly about asphalt binder modification or mineral aggregate substitution for better AC properties. Several studies
have focused on stone mastic asphalt concrete (SMA) or isolating recycled polyethylene terephthalate (RPET) as an aggregate substitute. In
this study, a combined form of recycled plastic waste (RPW) was used as a mineral aggregate supplement in a dense-graded hot mix asphalt
(HMA) AC made with RPW-modified asphalt binder. The term hybrid RPW-AC is used to refer to the HMA AC in this study. The viscoelastic
performance of ACs containing combined RPW aggregates were compared with those containing RPET-only aggregates. Dynamic modulus
(jE j) tests, flow number (FN) tests, and rutting resistance tests using an asphalt pavement analyzer (APA) were utilized to evaluate the
performance of the hybrid RPW asphalt concrete mixes and were compared to fresh, RPET, and crumb rubber AC. The results showed
that combined RPW as an aggregate supplement has advantages over the use of RPET-only aggregates. The hybrid RPW-AC showed superior
performance compared to the reference mixtures. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0002744. © 2019 American Society of Civil
Engineers.
Author keywords: Recycled plastic; Asphalt concrete; Performance; Flow number; Modified asphalt; Dynamic modulus; Fatigue.

Introduction The use of recycled low- and high-density polyethylene (RLDPE

Plastic waste (PW) has long been identified among the direct and
indirect primary sources of environmental pollution (Thompson
et al. 2009)—indirectly, in the sense that producing one ton of any
type of plastic from virgin sources is accompanied by huge carbon
and nonmethyl volatile organic compound emissions (IFC 1998;
Kuenen et al. 2013), and directly due to the nonbiodegradable
nature of PW. PW lingers for as long as 500 years without fully
decomposing, polluting water bodies, harming aquatic life, and
damaging the aesthetics of cities (Teuten et al. 2009). Currently,
global PW generation exceeds 300 million tons annually and is in-
creasing at a rate of 4% per year (Gourmelon 2016). The Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia (KSA) generates approximately 1.4 million tons of
PW per year (Dalhat and Al-Abdul Wahhab 2017). Recycling has
been identified as the best PW management strategy, given the fact
that recycling decreases the need for more virgin plastics and
prevents PW from polluting the environment.
Some studies have been conducted on using recycled plastic
waste (RPW) to modify asphalt binder for better asphalt concrete
performance (Al-Abdul Wahhab et al. 2017; Casey et al. 2008;
Dalhat and Al-Abdul Wahhab 2017; Fu et al. 2007; Yildirim 2007).
1
Assitant Professor, Transportation and Traffic Engineering Dept.,
College of Engineering, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal Univ., PO Box
1982, Dammam 31451, Saudi Arabia (corresponding author). ORCID:
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1900-4891. Email: madalhat@iau.edu.sa
2
Professor, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, King Fahd
Univ. of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia.
3
Ph.D. Graduate, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, King
Fahd Univ. of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia.
Note. This manuscript was submitted on August 7, 2018; approved on
December 17, 2018; published online on May 17, 2019. Discussion period
open until October 17, 2019; separate discussions must be submitted for
individual papers. This paper is part of the Journal of Materials in Civil
Engineering, © ASCE, ISSN 0899-1561.
and RHDPE) in addition to recycled polypropylene (RPP) to en-
hance the storage stability and performance grade of local asphalt
binders in KSA has been reported (Al-Abdul Wahhab et al. 2017;
Dalhat and Al-Abdul Wahhab 2017). The potential for RPW to im-
prove stone mastic asphalt (SMA) concrete performance has been
investigated (Casey et al. 2008). These papers targeted the binder
portion of asphalt concrete (AC). Other studies have substituted
some proportion of the mineral aggregate with recycled plastic
(Baghaee Moghaddam et al. 2012; Zoorob and Suparma 2000).
RLDPE was used as an aggregate replacement in a continuous
graded AC (Zoorob and Suparma 2000). However, emphasis was
given to decreasing density and Marshall stability instead of actual
performance. Isolated recycled polyethylene terephthalate (RPET)
was used as an aggregate substitute to improve the rutting and
fatigue resistance of an SMA (Ahmadinia et al. 2012; Baghaee
Moghaddam et al. 2012). The drawbacks of these studies are that
there was no basis for aggregate size range selection, and the pro-
cess of isolating one PW from at least six existing RPWs is costly
and impractical for AC construction. In another study, the asphalt
binder and some portion of the fine aggregate were completely re-
placed with thermoplastic RPW (Dalhat and Al-Abdul Wahhab
2016). However, only the fundamental mechanical properties and
thermal sensitivity of plastic concrete were established.
It is clear that prior studies have been about asphalt binder modi-
fication or mineral aggregate substitution for better AC properties
or performance. Several studies have focused on SMA, isolating a
given RPW (typically RPET) as aggregate substitute. In addition,
existing studies have not had a basis for aggregate size selection.
In this study, a combined form of RPW was used as a mineral
aggregate supplement in a dense-graded RPW-modified asphalt
binder AC, producing a hybrid RPW-AC. Two different RPW ag-
gregate size ranges were analyzed based on AC durability and
strength. The RPW content was then optimized based on resistance

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 to plastic deformation. The viscoelastic performance of AC con-
taining the combined RPW was compared with that of AC contain-
ing RPET only. The hybrid ACs were prepared using AASHTO
M323 Superpave volumetric mix design (AASHTO 2013). Dy-
namic modulus (jE j) tests, flow number (FN) tests following
AASHTO TP_79 (AASHTO 2015a), and rutting resistance tests
using an asphalt pavement analyzer following AASHTO TP63
(AASHTO 2007) were employed to evaluate the performance of
the hybrid RPW-ACs with reference to crumb rubber AC. Asphalt
flexural fatigue tests following ASTM D7460 (ASTM 2010) were
also used to evaluated the fatigue performance of the AC containing
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the RPW aggregate.
Materials and Methods
Asphalt Binder and Asphalt Concrete Mixes
The base properties of the asphalt binders used in this research
study are shown in Table 1. The asphaltenes (As), aromatics (Ar),
saturates (S), and resin (R) proportions of local binder were 19.2%,
24.7%, 27.2%, and 28.8%, respectively. Local asphalt binder was
modified with RPW (RLDPE, RHDPE, and RPP) along with a
plastomeric by-product polymer (PB) and elastomeric styrene-
butadiene-styrene (SBS) polymers to yield a performance grade
(PG) of 76(H)-10 (Al-Abdul Wahhab et al. 2017). The selected
target PG is in line with the asphalt binder performance require-
ments of most regions in Saudi Arabia. The reference CRB_76
asphalt binder is a PG 76-10 performance grade equivalent asphalt
binder. The CRB_76 binder was obtained by high shear mixing of
8%, 0.6 mm (No. 30 sieve) to 0.15 mm (No. 100 sieve) crumb rubber
(CRB) with the asphalt at 180°C for an hour. It was collected from a
local construction material company in the Eastern Province of Saudi
Arabia. Table 2 shows the codes assigned to each asphalt binder, and
the nomenclature used for the asphalt concrete mixes in the results and
discussion throughout this paper is illustrated in Table 3.
Properties of Mineral Aggregates and Gradations
Based on the Superpave volumetric mix design procedure, two
gradations (G1 and G2) of aggregates were employed in this study.
Table 1. Base asphalt binder properties
Property/component Value
Performance grade (PG) 64 (S)-22
Asphaltene (%) 19.2
Aromatics (%) 24.7
Saturates (%) 27.2
Resins (%) 28.8
Table 2. Nomenclature for asphalt binder
Letter
Content Polymer/s code Nature/source
Recycled low density RLDPE L Recycled
polyethylene
Recycled high density RHDPE H Recycled
polyethylene
Recycled polypropylene RPP P Recycled
Styrene butadiene styrene SBS S Commercial
By-product PE PB B Commercial
Note: Examples: H4 = 4%RHDPE; L2S1 = 2%RLDPE + 1%SBS; P4 =
4%RPP; L4_70(H) = 4%RLDPE_70 PG temperature (heavy traffic).
© ASCE
J. Mater. Civ. Eng., 2019, 31(8): 04019134
Table 3. Nomenclature for asphalt concrete mixtures
AC type Description
Fresh + RPW Unmodified AC + optimum content of RPW aggregate
5%RPW Unmodified AC + 5% RPW aggregate
5%RPET Unmodified AC + 5% RPET aggregate
L6_76(H) AC containing L6_76(H) modified asphalt binder
L6_76(H) + RPW L6_76(H) binder AC + optimum RPW aggregate
CRB_76 Crumb-rubber-modified asphalt binder AC
Properties and grain sizes of the selected aggregates are shown
in Table 4 and Fig. 1, respectively. The properties include bulk
and apparent specific gravities for Coarse [ASTM C127 (ASTM
2015a)] and Fine [ASTM C128 (ASTM 2015b)] aggregates,
resistance to abrasion [ASTM C131 (ASTM 2006)], Flakiness
and elongation [ASTM D4791 (ASTM 2010)], angularity for fine
[ASTM C1252 (ASTM 2017b)] and coarse [ASTM D5821 (ASTM
2017a)] aggregates, and sand equivalent index [ASTM D2419
(ASTM 2014)].
Recycled Plastic Waste Aggregates
Recycled plastic waste was obtained from municipality collection
points. The plastic waste (PW) was shredded for better handling as
AC aggregates, as shown in Fig. 2. Table 5 shows the gradation of
the RPW aggregates for size 1 (S1) and size 2 (S2) utilized in this
research.
The costs associated with the RPW classification process are
relatively high, especially when large amounts of recycled plastic
wastes are required for aggregate substitution in asphalt concrete
mixes. Preliminary estimates show that RPW consists approxi-
mately of 17% RLDPE, 25% RHDPE, 34% RPET, 11% RPP, 4%
recycled polyvinyl chloride (RPVC), and 9% recycled polystyrene
(RPS). Fig. 2 shows the combined and processed RPW used as an
aggregate substitute in this study.
Tests and Methods
RPW-AC and Hybrid RPW-AC Mixing Process
RPW-ACs are AC mixtures obtained by modifying the asphalt
binder with RPW or by replacing some part of the mineral aggre-
gates. The RPW-AC mix with only RPW-modified asphalt binder
was designed according to AASHTO Superpave mix design method
M323 (AASHTO 2015b), and the results are provided in Table 6.
RPW-ACs having a neat asphalt binder but containing RPW aggre-
gates were produced by first designing the neat AC mix according to
AASHTO M323 (AASHTO 2015b); then, some portion of the min-
eral aggregate was substituted with RPW. The gradation and optimal
asphalt content of the neat AC mix was preserved in the process.
The hybrid RPW-AC mixtures were obtained by substituting some
portion of the RPW-modified binder AC mineral aggregate with
RPW aggregates. The loose gradation and optimal asphalt binder
content of the RPW-modified binder mix were also preserved. RPW
aggregates were mixed with the mineral aggregates for 30 s; then,
an appropriate amount of asphalt binder was added, and mixing
continued for 1.5–2 min. This procedure was adopted to simplify
and minimize uncertainties related to the estimation of the AC mix
volumetric properties of the ACs with RPW-aggregates, because the
thermoplastic components of the RPW aggregates would most
likely have deformed during high-temperature mixing, curing, and
compaction.
04019134-2 J. Mater. Civ. Eng.
 Table 4. Properties of mineral aggregates
Property Standard method Coarse aggregates Fine aggregates Filler Criteria
Bulk specific gravity ASTM C127/C128 2.47 2.56 2.75 —
Apparent specific gravity ASTM C127/C128 2.74 2.78 2.84 —
Los Angeles abrasion (%) ASTM C131 27% — — ≤45
Coarse aggregate angularity ASTM D5821 97=91 — — 95=90
Fine aggregate angularity ASTM C1252 — 45 — ≥45
Flat and elongated particles ASTM D4791 0 — — ≤10
Sand equivalent (%) ASTM D2419 — 58 — ≥45
Absorption ASTM C127/C128 1.73 1.04 — —
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100 100

90 90 90

80

70
12.5 mm - Min.
12.5 mm - Max.
Percent Passing

60
58 2.36 mm - Min.
50 75 µm - Min.
75 µm - Max.
40 G1
9.5 mm - Max.
30
28 2.36 mm - Max.
20 G2
10
10

0 2
0.01 0.1 1 10 100
Aggregate Size (mm)

Fig. 1. Mineral aggregate gradation.

Table 5. Size distribution for RPW Aggregate

% passing
Sieve No. (mm) S1 S2
#8 (2.38) 68 47
#10 (2.00) 32 22
#12 (1.68) — 7
#16 (1.18) — 17
#20 (0.84) — 3
#30 (0.60) — 1
#40 (0.42) — 1

Resilient Modulus
The resilient modulus (RM), which is defined as the ratio of the
applied stress to the recovered strain obtained from diametrically
loaded samples, was measured for AC mixtures involved in
RPW size selection. A haversine compressive pulse load of approx-
imately 333 N was applied to AC specimens for 0.1 s, followed by
a rest period of 0.9 s. Sample preparation was done according to the
Fig. 2. Combined RPW aggregate substitute.
standard test method for determining the RM of bituminous mixes,

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 Table 6. Superpave mix design results summary
Mixing Compaction Optimum asphalt
Asphalt binder temperature (°C) temperature (°C) content (%) VMA VFA Gradation
Fresh 160 135 4.81 17.10 75.20 G1
L6_76(H) 200 190 5.16 17.60 75.33 G1
L4S1.5_76(H) 195 185 5.28 16.99 76.70 G1
L6B1_76(H) 200 190 5.20 16.96 74.98 G1
H4_76(H) 195 185 5.70 18.55 75.23 G2
H2B1.5_76(H) 195 185 5.55 16.00 73.10 G2
H4S1_76(H) 195 185 5.60 16.46 74.71 G2
P2S1.5_(76) 190 175 5.16 17.78 73.36 G1
CRB_(76) 185 175 5.41 17.31 74.12 G1
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ASTM D7369 (ASTM 2009). The standard AC sample was strain levels for testing were selected according to the initial behav-
100 mm (4 in.) in diameter and 63 mm (2.5 in.) in height. ior of the mixes; CRB-76-modified asphalt concrete along with
fresh samples were tested at strain levels from 200 to 600 μst, while
the AC samples prepared with RPW aggregate substitutes were
Dynamic Modulus
tested from 350 to 1,000 μst.
The dynamic modulus (jE j) of asphalt concrete mixes was ob-
tained by utilizing the asphalt mixture performance tester (AMPT)
in accordance with AASHTO standard method T378 (AASHTO Results and Analysis
2017). A confining stress of 180 kPa was applied on AC samples
to simulate field conditions (Hajj et al. 2010). Each AC sample Superpave Mix Design of RPW Asphalt Concrete
was evaluated at three temperatures and five frequency levels
(20°C, 40°C, and 54°C; and 0.01, 0.1, 1, 10, and 20 Hz) in order
to generate the master curves for time–temperature superposition Mixing and Compaction Temperature
(Bonaquist and Christensen 2005). The master curves were fitted The effect of temperature on the viscosity of RPW-modified asphalt
to a symmetrical sigmoid function [Eq. (1)] using the Arrhenius binders was studied in order to estimate mixing and compaction
shift factor [Eq. (2)]. The various master curves were generated temperatures during the preparation of asphalt concrete mixes.
at a 25°C reference temperature Viscosity results are presented in Fig. 3. The recommended asphalt
viscosities for mixing and compaction processes are 0.17  0.02
Max − δ and 0.28  0.03 Pa · s, respectively. The flow activation energy
log jE j ¼ δ þ ð1Þ
βþγ ðlog tþ19.14714
ΔEa
½T1 −T1r Þ (FAE) for the different RPW-modified asphalt binders based on
1þe
their viscosity–temperature curves was estimated using Arrhenius
  equation represented by Eq. (3). The FAE was found to vary ex-
ΔEa 1 1
log aðTÞ ¼ − ð2Þ ponentially with the required compaction effort for a given binder
19.15 T T r
(Salomon and Zhai 2004); results are presented in Fig. 4. The
where jE j = complex modulus; aðTÞ = shift factor; jE jmax = various RPW-modified ACs showed FAEs slightly higher than
limiting maximum mixture dynamic modulus; T = temperature; the CRB-modified asphalt, except for the H2B1.5_76(H) binder.
T r = reference temperature (K); Max = limiting maximum modu- This implies that most of the RPW-modified asphalt binders will
lus; t = loading time; and δ; β; γ; ΔEa = fitting parameters. yield AC mixtures that require more compaction runs in order
to achieve the design air voids than the CRB-modified asphalt for
a given compaction temperature. Specifically, the P2S1.5_76(H)-
Rutting Performance Tests and H4_76 (H)-modified binders had the highest required compac-
The rutting performance of the various AC mixtures was analyzed tion energy. The CRB AC mix was selected as a reference because
using AC flow number (FN) and repeated wheel track permanent
deformation AC tests. Cored cylindrical AC concrete samples were
tested for flow number utilizing the asphalt mixture performance
test. Each AC sample was 100 mm (4 in.) in diameter and 150 mm
(6 in.) in height. A repeated sinusoidal deviatory stress of 600 kPa
was applied on the unconfined AC samples at each mix’s targeted
service temperature. Each test cycle consisted of 0.1 s loading
followed by 0.9 s resting time per AASHTO T378 (AASHTO
2017). Cylindrical asphalt concrete samples were prepared and sub-
jected to repeated wheel loads to measure their rutting depths per
AASHTO TP63 utilizing an asphalt pavement analyzer (APA)
(AASHTO 2007).

Fatigue Life Tests Using Flexural Beam Tests

The fatigue life of compacted asphalt concrete samples was
evaluated using the standard repeated flexural bending test per
Fig. 3. Viscosity-based mixing and compaction temperatures for
AASHTO T321 (AASHTO 2014) under constant temperature,
RPW-modified asphalt binders.
strain-controlled mode, and continuous load cycles (10 Hz). The

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Fig. 4. Flow activation energy for the RPW-modified asphalt binders.
Fig. 5. Sensitivity to moisture damage of RPW-modified asphalt
concrete mixes.
it is currently the modified AC mix recommended by the Transport
Ministry of Saudi Arabia
 
E 1
ln η ¼ þA ð3Þ
R T
where η = viscosity (Pa · s); T = temperature (K); E = flow acti-
vation energy (kJ=mol); R = constant equal to 8.314 J · mol−1 K−1 ;
and A is the intercept.
Mix Design Parameters for RPW-AC Mixes
Table 6 presents a summary of the volumetric properties obtained
from the Superpave mix design of RPW-modified asphalt concrete
mixes. The AC mix properties include the mixing and compaction
temperatures, optimum asphalt content, gradation, voids filled with
asphalt (VFA), and voids in mineral aggregates (VMA). The mois-
ture sensitivity test results for the designed mixtures are shown
in Fig. 5. The minimum requirement (i.e., 80%) for the retained
strength index (RSI) for all RPW-modified asphalt mixtures was met.
Optimum RPW Aggregate Sizes and Quantity
Two size ranges (S1 and S2) of RPW aggregates were selected as
potential substitutes for some portion of the mineral aggregate. The
best size range was based on results obtained from indirect tensile
strength (ITS), moisture sensitivity, and resilient modulus of the
© ASCE 04019134-5
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Fig. 6. RPW size range for aggregate substitution results plots.
HMA concrete. S1 (No. 8 to No. 10) and S2 (No. 8 to No. 40)
were used to prepare four different AC mixtures. Fresh hot mix
asphalt (HMA) was selected for optimization purposes, and its ag-
gregate gradation limits were intended to be preserved as much as
possible. Based on the original aggregate size distribution and
standard size limits that were used to produce the fresh AC mix
(Gradation I), S1 could only replace 10% of the original aggregate.
However, S2 could replace as much as 20% of the aggregates.
Hence, asphalt concrete mixes that contain 5% and 10% S1 and
10% and 20% S2 RPW as aggregates were prepared and tested.
The feasibility of incorporating larger proportions of S2 RPW into
modified asphalt concrete mixes was an initial advantage of S2 over
S1. However, asphalt concrete mixes prepared from S2 RPW
showed lower RM values when similar replacement proportions
were compared (i.e., S1-10% and S2-10%), as shown in Fig. 6.
There is a general decline in RM value with increase in RPW con-
tent, both for S1 and S2 AC mixtures. However, the rate of RM
decline is significantly higher for S1 RPW AC. This can be seen
from the change in RM due to increase in RPW from 5% to 10%
(5% difference), as compared to the change in RM due to increase
RPW from 10% to 20% (10% difference). Note that RM was mea-
sured at 20°C, a temperature at which fresh AC has a higher RM
than the RPW AC. However, the RPW AC possessed a higher RM
at higher temperatures than even polymer-modified AC (Dalhat and
Al-Abdul Wahhab 2016, 2017). For the same content of RPW in
concrete mixes, ITS results for S1 mixes were slightly higher than
those for S2 mixes.
The moisture sensitivity test, the most vital test for optimizing
RPW content, was used to arrive at a final decision on the best
RPW sizes. The retained strength index results shown in Fig. 7 re-
vealed that the S2 RPW holds better promise of an excellent asphalt
concrete mix in terms of moisture durability. HMA containing 10%
S1 RPW did not satisfy the AASHTO M323 minimum require-
ments for moisture susceptibility of 80% (AASHTO 2015b) due
to a decreasing RSI trend with increasing S1 content. This was
attributed to the shortage of smaller fines of RPW in S1 sizes com-
pared to S2. The small fines of RPW in the thermoplastic PW play
a vital and additional binding role in HMAs with RPW aggregates
(as will be discussed subsequently).
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Fig. 7. Sensitivity to moisture damage for S1 and S2 RPW aggregate
mixtures.
Fig. 8. Optimum amount of RPW aggregate.
Based on previous observed results, the S2 RPW (No. 8 to
No. 40) was selected as the best size range for aggregate substitu-
tion in ACs.
In order to optimize the RPW content for aggregate substitution,
the flow number test, which is a more sophisticated test that can
measure the plastic behavior of the modified AC, was selected.
Fig. 8 shows the flow number results for AC samples containing
different amounts (0%, 5%, 10%, and 20%) of RPW. These sam-
ples were subjected to a repeated dynamic loading until failure. It
was observed that an increase in RPW content led to an increase in
the FN curve that started to decline when the content approached
9.5%. Below this content, any added amount of RPW served to fill
the VMA and enhanced the resistance of the asphalt binders against
deformation. However, as RPW content increased above 9.5%,
the excess RPW lodged between mineral aggregates, creating sev-
eral mineral aggregate–RPW–mineral aggregate spots within the
aggregate structure. This introduced weak spots compared to the
stone-on-stone aggregate structure expected in the optimum RPW
content.
The accumulated permanent strain at the flow point was propor-
tional to the required number of load cycles to flow (Fig. 8). There-
fore, the fresh AC showed the least accumulated strain, not because it
© ASCE 04019134-6
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Fig. 9. Constant temperature plots for dynamic modulus of RPW
aggregate AC.
was stronger, but because it succumbed to the loading at a lower
number of load cycles. The 9.5% RPW AC showed the highest FN
that corresponded to a relatively low accumulated permanent strain.
Based on both FN and accumulated strain, it was concluded that
9.5% RPW was the optimum content in terms of resistance to rutting.
Viscoelastic Properties of RPW-AC and Hybrid
RPW-AC
The viscoelastic behavior and performance results of the different
RPW-ACs (AC mixtures obtained by modifying the asphalt binder
with RPW or by replacing some part of the mineral aggregates), and
hybrid RPW-ACs (AC mixtures obtained using RPW-modified
binder and substituting some portions of the mineral aggregate with
RPW aggregates) are presented in the following subsections.
Dynamic Modulus jE j of RPW Asphalt Concrete Mixtures
The dynamic modulus jE j of various asphalt concrete mixes at
different temperatures and loading frequencies were measured
and analyzed. Fig. 9 shows the dynamic modulus and phase angle
of neat ACs containing different proportions of RPW aggregate.
These results were obtained at three temperatures at a 10 Hz fre-
quency. The results show that at nearly 10% RPW content, the ACs
possessed the maximum moduli and the lowest phase angle values.
This observation is a further confirmation of the optimum content
of RPW aggregate.
Fig. 10 shows the dynamic modulus results for mixes containing
5%, 10%, and 20% combined RPW aggregates compared to mixes
containing 5% and 10% RPET-only aggregates. The RPET aggre-
gates possessed a gradation similar to that of S1. The comparison is
important because most previous studies on PW asphalt concrete
modification via mineral aggregate substitution have focused on
isolated RPET only. The results show that the 10% RPW-ACs have
the highest dynamic modulus. This confirms the selection of the
optimum RPW content obtained from the previous results for FN
(Fig. 8). Even the 5% and 20% RPW ACs showed higher moduli at
higher temperatures than the fresh AC. The presence of the RPW
aggregates (even in excess or in low amounts) improves the thermal
sensitivity of the AC. The RPET aggregate ACs showed the lowest
values of dynamic moduli at all temperatures. It is important to note
that previous studies reporting positive results for RPET ACs
worked with SMA, not with dense-graded ACs. SMA has an open
gradation with more voids and requires more asphalt content than
dense-graded AC. This study is on dense-graded AC; thus, no
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Fig. 10. Dynamic moduli of RPET-only and RPW aggregate AC.
Fig. 11. Phase angle results for RPET-only AC and RPW-AC at 10 Hz.
more than 10% RPET can be successfully incorporated into the AC
without losing adhesion and other properties of the AC within rea-
sonable binder content. However, combined RPW contains a sig-
nificant amount of thermoplastics (see section “Recycled Plastic
Waste Aggregates”), which partially melt during curing, serving
as additional binder. RPET is thermosetting and has a relatively
higher melting point (260°C) that is above the curing temperature
(135°C) (Roland 1991). However, polyethylene-base PW has a
melting point between 115°C and 140°C (Kawai 1965), which
enables it to partially melt and bind AC components further.
Fig. 11 presents the corresponding phase angle results obtained
for the AC mixtures shown in Fig. 10. The phase angle results
reflect the same trend observed previously, with only a slight
difference. At high testing temperatures (40°C–50°C), the 10%
RPW-modified AC competes with the 20% RPW-AC in terms of
elasticity. Although the 10% RPW ACs had a comparatively higher
dynamic modulus, it contains lower RPW aggregate which made
them more sensitive to temperature. This result can be observed
from the slope of the dynamic modulus curves presented in Fig. 10.
RPET-Only and RPW-AC Dynamic Modulus Master Curves
The dynamic modulus jE j master curves of ACs containing re-
cycled polyethylene terephthalate aggregate and those containing
combined RPW aggregate are presented in Fig. 12. As mentioned
previously, the amount of RPET aggregate cannot exceed 10% of
the mineral aggregate in this dense gradation without significantly
affecting the integrity of the mix design. However, a sizeable
© ASCE 04019134-7
J. Mater. Civ. Eng., 2019, 31(8): 04019134
Fig. 12. Dynamic modulus master curves for RPET-only AC and
RPW-AC.
proportion of the original aggregate can be substituted by bulk
RPW materials that contain all types of plastic waste without reduc-
ing the binding ability of the overall mixture; hence, no additional
asphalt binder is needed.
The dynamic modulus master curves for RPW aggregate (5%,
10%, and 20% RPW) are presented in Fig. 12. The proximity of the
10% RPW aggregate content to the optimum level is further re-
flected. The time–temperature superposition behavior of the RPW
mixtures improved from zero RPW content (fresh) up to 10% RPW
content (within the high-speed/frequency loading range). A de-
crease in the dynamic modulus was observed from the 10% to the
20% RPW curve. Overall superior viscoelastic properties were ob-
served for asphalt concrete that contained 5%–10% of combined
RPW aggregate as compared to those with the same proportion
of RPET-only aggregate. This can be attributed to the inability
of the thermosetting RPET to partially melt and further thicken
the asphalt mastic and improve aggregate–binder interface bond-
ing. Base on these findings, it can be deduced that using combined
RPW for aggregate substitution is better than isolating RPET for
dense-graded HMA. This conclusion can be further justified if the
additional cost accompanying sorting process of one individual PW
is considered.
Dynamic Modulus jE j Master Curves of Hybrid
RPW-ACs
The dynamic modulus master curves of hybrid RPW-ACs that con-
tain both RPW-modified binder and RPW aggregates are shown in
Fig. 13. These results were compared to a standard crumb rubber
HMA concrete (CRB_76). CRB_76 is the RPW mix equivalent that
is currently being used and recommended for road construction in
most Gulf countries. At lower loading rates, which correspond to
higher loading times (slow traffic, high temperatures, or both), the
hybrid ACs showed higher viscoelastic stiffness than the reference
crumb rubber AC mix (CRB_76). This is an indication of reduced
thermal sensitivity and good permanent deformation resistance for
the hybrid ACs, which can be attributed to their RPW aggregate
composition. Higher loading time is considered a more critical
loading case for a viscoelastic material like AC. Even the fresh
AC showed a relatively higher modulus than the hybrid ACs at
a very high loading rate (low reduced time), like the CRB. But this
loading rate range corresponds to low temperatures and/or very
high speeds. This means that the hybrid ACs are more flexible (less
stiff) than both fresh and CRB ACs at low temperatures. These
dual properties of high stiffness at high temperatures and low or
moderate stiffness at low temperatures are what make an excellent
J. Mater. Civ. Eng.
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Fig. 14. Permanent deformation of RPW and reference AC mixes.

Fig. 13. Dynamic modulus master curves for hybrid RPW-AC and
crumb rubber AC.

Table 7. FN test results for hybrid RPW-ACs

Mix type Flow number Strain @10,000 s (μst)
Fresh 508 —
CRB_76 1,117 —
Fresh + RPW 17,825 —
4% SBS No-flow 5,003
L6_76(H) + RPW No-flow 1,824
L4S1.5_76(H) + RPW No-flow 1,742
L6B1_76(H) + RPW No-flow 1,660
H4_76(H) + RPW No-flow 1,536
H2B1.5_76(H) + RPW No-flow 1,527
H4S1_76(H) + RPW No-flow 1,504
P2S1.5_(76) + RPW No-flow 1,360 Fig. 15. Effect of RPW aggregate on AC fatigue life.

AC mix; only a sufficiently flexible AC can resist cracking due to
fatigue at low and/or intermediate temperatures.
The various AC mixtures can be ranked in descending order
of viscoelastic behavior with respect to high temperatures as fol-
lows: H4_76(H) + RPW, P2S1.5_76(H) + RPW, H2B1.5_76(H) +
RPW, H4S1_76(H) + RPW, L6_76(H) + RPW, L4S1.5_76(H) +
RPW, CRB_76, fresh. Overall, however, H2B1.5_76(H) + RPW
showed the most balanced high- and intermediate-temperature
viscoelastic behavior.
Rutting Performance of RPW Asphalt Concrete
RPW Asphalt Concrete Flow Number
Flow number was utilized to further analyze and confirm the hybrid
ACs’ high-temperature performance in terms of resistance to per-
manent. The FN test results are summarized in Table 7. The maxi-
mum load cycle was set at 20,000, and the temperature was set at
64°C (the maximum safe operating temperature of the AMPT ma-
chine) due to the resilient nature of the RPW aggregate ACs. The
fresh AC and the CRB_76 mixtures flowed at a small fraction of the
test duration—508 and 1,117 s, respectively. Regardless, the CBR
mix qualified as suitable for heavy traffic at this service temperature
(64°C) according to AASHTO TP_79 (AASHTO 2015a). The fresh
mix containing the optimum RPW aggregate, however, had a FN
value that was almost 16 times that of the CRB_76 AC. The hybrid
ACs (ACs containing RPW-modified binder in addition to RPW
aggregates) did not flowed at all, but the hybrid ACs sustained
some permanent deformation after 20,000 load cycles. The perma-
nent deformation sustained by the hybrid was assessed by compari-
son with a standard styrene-butadiene-styrene AC that did not flow
at the same temperature. The SBS mixture sustained a permanent
strain of of 5,003 μst after 10,000 s, while the hybrids sustained
only about a third of this value.
APA Rut Depths
The hybrid RPW ACs were further subjected to repeated wheel
track loading using an asphalt pavement analyzer. The results are
presented in Fig. 14. The standard recommends that the APA test
preferably be conducted at the adjusted service temperature of the
AC mix. This was achieved for the fresh AC, which showed a
maximum rut depth less than the 6.35-mm standard limit adopted
by most road agencies. However, the hybrid ACs and CBR_76
HMA were tested at the highest safe operating temperature of
the APA machine (70°C). The hybrid ACs showed very close
results and negligible rutting, lower than the CRB_76 AC mix.
Effect of RPW Aggregate on the Fatigue Life of the AC
The effect of the RPW aggregate on the fatigue performance of the
AC was assessed by comparing the fatigue life of fresh AC with and
without the optimal RPW aggregate content and with the CRB_76
AC. The test was conducted at an intermediate temperature (20°C)
under controlled strain, and the results are presented in Fig. 15.
Fatigue life, which is based on a classical approach, corresponds
to the number of load cycles that result in a 50% loss in stiffness.

© ASCE 04019134-8 J. Mater. Civ. Eng.

J. Mater. Civ. Eng., 2019, 31(8): 04019134

 Table 8. Fatigue life models summary
AC mix ID Fatigue models Model fit
5.7300  1018
Fresh mix Nf ¼ R2 ¼ 0.9404
ε5.5556
1.1300  1011
Fresh + RPW Nf ¼ R2 ¼ 0.944
ε1.6500
7.5667  1019 2
CRB mix Nf ¼ R ¼ 0.8487
ε5.6818
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The CRB_76 AC showed higher fatigue life than the fresh HMA
due to the improved viscoelastic properties of the CRB-modified
binder compared to fresh asphalt binder. However, the fresh AC
containing the optimal RPW aggregate content showed a signifi-
cantly improved fatigue life compared to both the fresh and
CRB_76 AC. This can only be a result of the RPW aggregate com-
position of the fresh plus RPW AC. The combined RPW contained
a considerable amount of thermoplastic PW that partially melted
during curing and created additional binding strength in the asphalt
mastic. This created stronger RPW-asphalt-aggregate interfaces
that delayed crack initiation under repeated loading. A summary
of the fatigue life models of the various HMAs is presented in
Table 8.
Conclusions
A combined form of RPW was used as a mineral aggregate supple-
ment in a dense-graded RPW-modified asphalt binder AC, pro-
ducing a hybrid RPW-AC. The viscoelastic performance of AC
containing the combined RPW was compared with AC mixes con-
taining RPET only. The hybrid ACs were prepared using Superpave
volumetric mix design. Dynamic modulus and flow number tests
using asphalt mixture pavement tester (AMPT), rutting resistance
using asphalt pavement analyzer (APA), and fatigue life using
flexural fatigue beam tests were employed to evaluate the perfor-
mance of the hybrid RPW asphalt concrete mixtures and to
compare them to neat and crumb-rubber-modified binder AC.
Based on the results of moisture sensitivity obtained from indi-
rect tensile strength and resilient modulus, S2, the RPW with more
fine sizes (No. 8 to No. 40), was found to be better than S1 (No. 8 to
No. 10) for aggregate substitution, which indicates that RPW ag-
gregates with a finer composition are preferred for dense-graded
AC mixes. The dynamic modulus and flow number tests proved
that an optimum RPW aggregate content is obtainable; the optimum
content was found to be 9.5% by weight of mineral aggregate in
this study.
The combined form of RPW aggregates produced a better
dense-graded HMA concrete than the RPET-only aggregates in
terms of overall viscoelastic performance. The hybrid RPW ACs
showed better dynamic moduli, FN, and resistance to rutting than
crumb-rubber-modified binder HMA of the same PG at low loading
frequency. Finally, RPW also resulted in an improved fatigue life of
AC when utilized as a mineral aggregate supplement. Further
studies on RPW–mineral aggregate interaction and the effect of
RPW aggregate phase change cycle on the volumetric properties
and performance HMA are recommended.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the support provided by King Fahd
University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran, KSA,
© ASCE 04019134-9
J. Mater. Civ. Eng., 2019, 31(8): 04019134
and Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, KSA, in
carrying out this research.
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