A Synthesis of Computational and Experimental Approaches of Evaluating Chemical, Physical, and Mechanistic Properties of Asphalt Binders

Abstract

Asphalt binder is a very complex chemical compound. Much work has been done to understand and model its chemical, morphological, rheological, and mechanical features. -is paper synthesizes and presents findings from pertinent studies available in the public domain. Understanding of asphalt characteristics at the very finite level is the first critical step to develop a better macroscopicor pavement-level performance model. -is paper showcases a summary of current knowledge gained on (a) how chemical elemental compositions and molecular groups play critical roles in asphalt binder’s performance inpavement composites; (b) morphological properties and their relationships with the asphalt’s structural performance; and (c) mechanistic characteristics of asphalt binder’s at nanoscopic, mesoscopic, and microscopic levels, and how they are related to macroscopic- or pavement-level performance"