Effect of Silicone Maintenance Materials on Asphalt Binders and Mixtures

Abstract The preventive maintenance of asphalt pavement is of increasing interest to highway agencies and engineers. Many preventive maintenance materials based on emulsified asphalt are used all over the world. The objective of this paper is to investigate the effect of applied silicone maintenance materials (SMMs) on the properties of asphalt and asphalt mixtures in the laboratory. The penetrability and skidding resistance of SMMs on the asphalt mixture and the ultraviolet (UV) radiation aging resistance of SMMs on asphalt are studied by means of a simple penetration test, the British pendulum test, the sand patch test, and a dynamic rheology test. The results show the SMM can permeate into the voids of asphalt mixtures and improve their UV radiation aging resistance. SMM sealer shows a smaller reduction in the skid resistance of the asphalt mixture compared to a modified asphalt emulsion. Furthermore, the rubber powder can be used in an SMM seal on an asphalt mixture to improve its skidding resistance. The result of this study can support the applications of SMMs in the future.