Influence of Waste Polyethylene on the Performances of Asphalt before and after Oxidative Aging Based on the Molecular Dynamics Simulation
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 34, Issue 10
Abstract
Waste polyethylene (WPE) is a common waste that easily pollutes the environment. WPE has been used as a modifier to improve the high-temperature stability of asphalt. However, the performance change of WPE modified asphalt during oxidative aging is still unknown. The purpose of this article is to study the effect of WPE on the performance of asphalt before and after oxidative aging by using the molecular dynamics method. First, the density, viscosity, glass transition temperature, and cohesive energy density (CED) of WPE modified asphalt before and after oxidative aging were calculated. WPE reduces the viscosity change of asphalt during oxidative aging. WPE reduces the CED value of asphalt, thereby weakening the force between asphalt molecules. In addition, the glass transition temperature indicates that WPE can alleviate the effect of oxidative aging on the reduction of the viscoelastic properties of asphalt. The viscoelasticity of 4wt% WPE modified asphalt remains almost unchanged before and after oxidative aging. In addition, WPE molecules can improve the self-healing ability of asphalt during oxidative aging.
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Data Availability Statement
The data presented in this study are available upon reasonable request from the corresponding author.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the China University of Geosciences for providing the material for the study. This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52108425), China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) (CUGL150412, G1323531606, and G1323519261), National College Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program (S202010491065), Anhui Road and Bridge Engineering Group Co., Ltd. (2021056235), and Shandong Highway and Bridge Maintenance Co., Ltd. (2021056502).
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 34 • Issue 10 • October 2022
Copyright
© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 4, 2021
Accepted: Feb 17, 2022
Published online: Jul 29, 2022
Published in print: Oct 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Dec 29, 2022
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