Performance Evaluation of In Situ Prepolymerized TPU/SMC Composite-Modified Asphalt Mixtures with Aggregate Structure Optimization
- 1College of Transportation Engineering, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian 116026, China
- 2Intelligent Engineering Technology Research Center, Harbin Cambridge University, Harbin 150069, China
- 3Guangzhou City University of Technology, Guangzhou 510800, China
Abstract
Conventional thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)-modified asphalt suffers from poor high-temperature performance, and the influence of aggregate skeleton structure on the performance of TPU-based modified asphalt mixtures remains insufficiently understood. TPU-modified asphalt and SMC-grafted TPU composite-modified asphalt were prepared via in situ prepolymerization, using base asphalt (BA) and SBS-modified asphalt as control binders. Four types of AC-16 asphalt mixtures were designed and systematically evaluated in terms of volumetric properties, low-temperature mechanical behavior, pavement performance, and aging resistance. The coarse aggregate void filling (CAVF) gradation was introduced to compare performance differences among mixtures with identical binders but distinct aggregate skeleton structures. The results demonstrated that TPU/SMC composite modification enhanced the high-temperature performance of asphalt mixtures while maintaining satisfactory low-temperature cracking resistance. The dynamic stability of the composite-modified mixture was over 60% higher than that of the base mixture, while its maximum flexural tensile strain at low temperature exceeded that of the conventional SBS-modified system. After aging, the freeze–thaw splitting strength retention rate of the composite-modified mixture reached 98.5%, and its aging resistance outperformed that of the SBS-modified mixture. CAVF gradation further improved the performance of TSMA mixtures, increasing fatigue life by 22.5% while enhancing rutting and moisture damage resistance. These findings demonstrate that CAVF-based aggregate structure optimization can further improve the pavement performance of TSMA mixtures and provide an experimental basis for material selection and gradation design of steel bridge decks and cold-region asphalt pavements.
Related
- Design and optimization of CdS-CeO₂ composite electrodes for enhanced electrochemical performance for asymmetric supercapacitors.
- Application Performance Evaluation of an Ionic-Liquid-Enhanced Composite Drag Reducer with Pour-Point-Depressing Functionality
- Mechanical and Thermomechanical Performance Evaluation of CFRP Sandwich Structures with Additively Manufactured Composite Cores
- Evaluation of Woven Hemp-Reinforced Polyfurfuryl Alcohol Resin Composites for High-Performance Natural Fibre Composite Applications
- Performance Evaluation of CO2 Huff-n-Puff in Shale Oil Reservoirs: Multiwell Huff-n-Puff and Parameter Optimization
BibTeX
@article{zhang2026performance,
title = {{Performance Evaluation of In Situ Prepolymerized TPU/SMC Composite-Modified Asphalt Mixtures with Aggregate Structure Optimization}},
author = {Jun Zhang and Naisheng Guo and Hongbin Zhu and Ping Chen and Zhichen Wang and Hang Su and Guangshuai Wu},
journal = {Polymers},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3390/polym18192397},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13667083},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Performance Evaluation of In Situ Prepolymerized TPU/SMC Composite-Modified Asphalt Mixtures with Aggregate Structure Optimization
AU - Jun Zhang
AU - Naisheng Guo
AU - Hongbin Zhu
AU - Ping Chen
AU - Zhichen Wang
AU - Hang Su
AU - Guangshuai Wu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
JO - Polymers
DO - 10.3390/polym18192397
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13667083
AB - Conventional thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)-modified asphalt suffers from poor high-temperature performance, and the influence of aggregate skeleton structure on the performance of TPU-based modified asphalt mixtures remains insufficiently understood. TPU-modified asphalt and SMC-grafted TPU composite-modified asphalt were prepared via in situ prepolymerization, using base asphalt (BA) and SBS-modified asphalt as control binders. Four types of AC-16 asphalt mixtures were designed and systematically evaluated in terms of volumetric properties, low-temperature mechanical behavior, pavement performance, and aging resistance. The coarse aggregate void filling (CAVF) gradation was introduced to compare performance differences among mixtures with identical binders but distinct aggregate skeleton structures. The results demonstrated that TPU/SMC composite modification enhanced the high-temperature performance of asphalt mixtures while maintaining satisfactory low-temperature cracking resistance. The dynamic stability of the composite-modified mixture was over 60% higher than that of the base mixture, while its maximum flexural tensile strain at low temperature exceeded that of the conventional SBS-modified system. After aging, the freeze–thaw splitting strength retention rate of the composite-modified mixture reached 98.5%, and its aging resistance outperformed that of the SBS-modified mixture. CAVF gradation further improved the performance of TSMA mixtures, increasing fatigue life by 22.5% while enhancing rutting and moisture damage resistance. These findings demonstrate that CAVF-based aggregate structure optimization can further improve the pavement performance of TSMA mixtures and provide an experimental basis for material selection and gradation design of steel bridge decks and cold-region asphalt pavements.
SN - 2073-4360
ER -