The asphalt binder is a viscoelastic substance that exhibits both viscous and elastic behaviour. Asphalt binder is an effective adhesive material for use in the pavement, however it is a difficult material to understand and describe due to the wide variety of its behaviour. This research aimed to investigate the impact of polymer modification on non-recoverable creep compliance (Jnr). Three modifiers (fly ash (FA), Styrene-Butadiene-Styrene (SBS), and fly ash-based on geopolymer (GF)) were used. Asphalt binders were tested at various temperatures, ranging from 40 to 70 °C with a 3 °C gap, and regression models were developed. The results revealed that 2% SBS modified asphalt binder exhibited elastomeric behaviour at low temperatures, whereas 4% SBS modified asphalt binder exhibited noteworthy elastomeric behaviour at various temperatures. The power-law models most effectively illustrated the correlation between temperature and non-recoverable creep compliance (Jnr) at different stresses, 0.1 kPa and 3.2 kPa. The developed models proved to be effective for appropriately selecting the polymer type and amount suitable to minimize the Jnr. The hybrid and 4%SBS binders performed best in terms of strain recovery at high temperatures, with Jnr values of less than 0.5 being achieved at 58 °C and 3.2 kPa.
Keywords: Asphalt Binder, Rheology, Geopolymer, Rutting, Creep Recovery
