Microstructural, Surface Energy, and Thermal Behavior Changes of Virgin and Aged Bitumen after Fusion
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 36, Issue 9
Abstract
To investigate the effects of aging on the microstructure, mechanical behavior, and thermal performance of bitumen surfaces, this study utilizes atomic force microscopy (AFM) for a qualitative and quantitative assessment of the surface morphology, roughness, and surface energy evolution at the microscopic scale during the fusion process of both virgin and aged bitumen. The formation mechanism of beelike structures is also analyzed. Additionally, the thermal stability of bitumen is evaluated through thermogravimetric (TG) and derivative thermogravimetry (DTG) curves. Results revealed substantial differences in polarity and structure between asphaltene and surrounding bitumen molecules, leading to ineffective dissolution and dispersion of asphaltene in surrounding bitumen molecules, ultimately forming distinct striped beelike structures. With an increase in the content of virgin bitumen, the quantity and total area of beelike structures significantly increase, whereas their size and average area decrease. Aging induces the migration and alteration of bitumen internal components, resulting in the aggregation, dispersion, and fusion of biomass on the microsurface, thereby increasing surface roughness and decreasing surface energy. With the introduction of virgin bitumen and rejuvenators, bitumen surface roughness markedly decreases, whereas surface energy exhibits an increasing trend. This suggests that the microstructural properties of rejuvenated bitumen are effectively restored, with high fusion homogeneity between virgin and aged bitumen. Thermal analysis results indicate that the characteristic temperature and residual weight of rejuvenated bitumen are lower than aged bitumen, approaching the virgin bitumen. Specifically, the residual weight for virgin bitumen, aged bitumen, and rejuvenated bitumen are 17.23%, 22.03%, and 17.65%, respectively. This suggests that the introduction of rejuvenators increases the content of light components in bitumen, leading to a lower thermal decomposition temperature due to the volatilization of light components during heat treatment.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51678114), Urumqi Transportation Research Project (JSKJ201806), and Shanxi Province Transportation Research Project (19-JKKJ-4). The authors acknowledge the assistance of DUT Instrumental Analysis Center.
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 36 • Issue 9 • September 2024
Copyright
© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 8, 2023
Accepted: Mar 8, 2024
Published online: Jun 26, 2024
Published in print: Sep 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Nov 26, 2024
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Aging (material)
- Asphalts
- Deterioration
- Energy engineering
- Energy sources (by type)
- Engineering materials (by type)
- Engineering mechanics
- Hydraulic engineering
- Hydraulic properties
- Hydraulic roughness
- Materials characterization
- Materials engineering
- Microstructure
- Renewable energy
- Thermal analysis
- Thermal power
- Thermal properties
- Thermodynamics
- Water and water resources
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