Effects of Compaction Temperature on the Volumetric Properties and Compaction Energy Efforts of Polymer-Modified Asphalt Mixtures

In order to determine a proper compaction temperature that affects the workability and compactibility of the polymer-modified asphalt（PMA）, the effect of compaction temperature was examined on the volumetric properties and the compaction energy indices. Change in compaction temperature shows an important influence on the maximum specific gravity of mixture（G_（mm）） by internal volume change of PMA. The change in G_（mm） mainly affects the effective volume of the aggregate（V_（Eff））. Reduction in V_（Eff） from Zero shear viscosity（ZSV） to superpave temperature allows 0.1%-0.15% of the asphalt binder to occupy highly the external voids of aggregates. The volumetric properties for all compaction specimens meet superpave criteria, but the energy efforts were the lowest at ZSV temperature. Lower energy efforts at the ZSV temperature reflect easier compaction than those at excessively high temperature. Clearly, excessive compaction temperature may not be necessary to improve the compactibility and to reduce the compaction efforts.