Impact of Using Polyethylene Polymer on Properties of Hot Asphalt Mixture by Conducting Semi-Wet and Dry Mixing Process

In recent years, various methods have been developed to enhance the characteristics of asphalt pavement in order to face the continuous challenges of increasing traffic loads and changing climate conditions. One of the most popular and successful methods is modifying the asphalt mixtures or asphalt binder with the addition of polymers. Therefore, two types of Polyethylene (PE) polymer, High-Density PE (HDPE) and Low-Density PE (LDPE), are used in this research. Two methods were applied to prepare PE-modified asphalt mixtures: Semi-Wet Method (S-WM) and Dry Method (DM). The findings of the investigation indicated that the addition of PE polymer can reduce the wear loss of aggregate. In general, the experimental results revealed that asphalt mixtures modified with HDPE and LDPE polymers have exceptional performance in comparison with the conventional asphalt mixture. However, HDPE is a better modifier than LDPE in improving the properties of asphalt mixture in terms of Marshall stability, rigidity, Indirect Tensile Strength (ITS), and resistance to moisture damage. In addition, it is recommended to use a 6% addition of HDPE for optimal performance. Finally, S-WM is more effective than DM, attributable to the presence of filler, which prevents the adhesion between the polymer grains and aggregate in DM. Meanwhile, in S-WM, the asphalt binder's adherence to the aggregate particles will enhance since, in this method, the polymer is mixed first with asphalt prior to being added to the aggregate, offering the binder a semi-viscose nature.