Evaluation of Recycled Aggregates and Bitumen Stabilized Material Cracking Resistance Using Aggregate Imaging and Semi-Circular Bending Tests

A sustainable pavement engineering approach that makes more use of recycled aggregates is bitumen stabilization technology. Accurately characterizing the parent materials and behavioral traits of bitumen stabilized material (BSM) is now more and more crucial for its performance. The study's two objectives are to: (1) use the aggregate imaging system (AIMS) to examine the morphological characteristics of crushed stone, recycled concrete aggregate (RCA), and recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) both before and after abrasion; and (2) determine whether the Semi-Circular Bend (SCB) test is a suitable tool for assessing BSM fracture. The recycled coarse aggregate fractions were found to be more angular than the natural crushed stones. The most spherical aggregate was found to be RAP. The study also highlighted the SCB test and showed that the SCB test is a valid technique for evaluating BSM fracture within specified methodological limitations. The amount of time between sample preparation and testing has a significant impact on test results. Furthermore, similar to other bituminous pavement materials, the type of bituminous materials, notch depths, and sample sizes all have a major impact on the fracture energy and toughness index. The study's findings show that BSM with optimized recycled material delivers adequate fracture resistance when compared to conventional materials. The potential for the eco-friendly, sustainable repurposing of building and demolition waste materials as pavement layer aggregates can improve waste management while safeguarding the environment and natural resources.