Molecular structure evolution of asphaltite-modified bitumens during ageing; Comparisons with equivalent petroleum bitumens

Andréa Themeli (1) , Emmanuel Chailleux (1) , Fabienne Farcas (2) , Cyrille Chazallon (3) , Bernard Migault (3) , Nadège Buisson (1)

1 IFSTTAR/MAST/MIT - Matériaux pour Infrastructure de Transport
2 IFSTTAR/MAST/CPDM - Comportement Physico-chimique et Durabilité des Matériaux
3 ICube - Laboratoire des sciences de l'ingénieur, de l'informatique et de l'imagerie

This work focuses on the molecular structure evolution of asphaltite-modified paving bitumens during ageing. In order to quantify the effect of ageing on the molecular weight distribution (MWD) of bitumens, a new parameter, called hereafter the ageing molecular-distribution shift (AMDS), is introduced. The molecular evolutions of asphaltite-modified bitumens during aging are compared with the molecular evolutions of pure petroleum bitumens of equivalent grade. The results based on AMDS confirm previous research showing that the asphaltite attenuates the ageing and, compared to hard petroleum bitumens produced in refinery, the asphaltite-modified bitumens present a better ageing performance. The AMDS parameter reveals appropriate for the evaluation of evolutions due to ageing.

Mots clés: Bitumen modification; Bitumen aging; Molecular weight distribution of bitumens

Mots clés: BITUME; VIEILLISSEMENT; MODIFICATION; ASPHALTITE; MATERIAU; ASPHALTE NATUREL

Domaines: Matériaux; Génie civil

Andréa Themeli, Emmanuel Chailleux, Fabienne Farcas, Cyrille Chazallon, Bernard Migault, et al.. Molecular structure evolution of asphaltite-modified bitumens during ageing; Comparisons with equivalent petroleum bitumens. International Journal of Pavement Research and Technology, 2017, 10 (1), pp. 75-83. ⟨10.1016/j.ijprt.2017.01.003⟩. ⟨hal-01519682⟩