Preparation and fatigue property of nanoclay modified asphalt binder

Due to great temperature susceptivity, aging and inferior fatigue resistance, the serviceability of asphalt materials has been limited in same degree. The modification becomes an effective way to improve the performance of asphalt material. The modification applying nanoclay can not only improve the properties of bitumen but also lower costs to a great extent, so it becomes the research focus recently. It is well known that fatigue is considered to be one of the most significant distresses in any flexible pavement which is subjected to repeated traffic loading or stress. So it is very significant to pavement designer to investigate the fatigue characteristics of asphalt binder. The present research has chosen organic nano-montmorillonite (OMMT) to prepare the nanoclay modified bitumen using high speed shearer in laboratory. The X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) test was used to analyse the dispersion structure in the modified bitumen. And the fatigue test was carried out to evaluate the fatigue resistance property of the modified bitumen by Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR). The stress loading mode was applied to simulate the actual traffic loading. Finally, the fatigue equations were educed to fit the experiment results. The research results show that the modified bitumen containing nanoclay suggests excellent fatigue resistance.