Accelerated Pavement Testing of Plastic-Modified Asphalt Pavements (Phase II)

Status: Ongoing

Funding Agency: Department of War (DOW)

Abstract: 

The CREATES team at Rowan University, led by Dr. Yusuf Mehta, Director of CREATES, along with Dr. Ayman Ali, Associate Director of CREATES, and Dr. Anil Kumar Baditha, Assistant Research Professor, has successfully constructed full-scale accelerated pavement test sections incorporating recycled plastics into asphalt mixtures. Sk Md Imdadul Islam, Doctoral Researcher, led the laboratory experiments and field engineering for these sections including material characterization and preparation, laboratory performance testing, mixture design, laboratory quality control of plant produced mixtures, and construction inspection during placement.

This research aims to evaluate the structural performance and durability of plastic-modified asphalt pavements under accelerated loading conditions. The constructed test sections will undergo Heavy Vehicle Simulator (HVS) loading at the Rowan University Accelerated Pavement Testing Facility, to assess pavement response and performance and support the development of design recommendations for sustainable and resilient plastic-modified pavement systems. Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publication and reporting to the project sponsor.

The plastic-modified asphalt mixtures were produced using the dry mixing method, where recycled plastics are introduced directly into the asphalt mixture during production. This approach provides a practical means of incorporating plastic waste into pavement construction while requiring minimal modifications to conventional asphalt production practices.

This project was made possible through funding from the U.S. Department of War, through the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. We sincerely thank the ERDC team, including Dr. Wade Lein, PhD, PE, Dr. Mohamed Elshaer, PhD, PE, and Dr. Ben Cox, PhD, PE, for their continued technical guidance and support throughout the project.

This full-scale construction marks an important step in translating laboratory research into field-scale applications and advancing the use of recycled plastics as a sustainable material for durable asphalt pavements.

Investigators: Dr. Anil Baditha, PhD., Dr. Yusuf Mehta, PhD., Dr. Ayman Ali, PhD.