Utilization of Waste Plastics in Stone Mastic Asphalt for Infrastructural Applications

This paper reports an experimental study on the use of waste plastics in stone mastic asphalt (SMA) for infrastructural applications (e.g. roads, carparks and underground construction). The binders investigated were conventional bitumen, target bitumen (polymer modified bitumen) and waste plastics (recycled low-density polyethylene LDPE of 5 wt% and 10 wt% blends). The properties of bitumen were assessed based on its penetration value and softening point; while the performance of asphalt premix (or asphalt mixture) was evaluated based on its Marshall stability, flow and quotient. The asphalt mixture incorporating waste plastics (10 wt% LDPE blend) as polymer modifier could be a promising material for use in SMA for infrastructural applications.