2nd International Mongolia Road Expo & Conference

March 21-22, 2014., Buyant-Ukhaa Sports Palace

Development and Application of PolymerModified Warm-Mix Asphalt Technology

Customized for Mongolia Road Condition

Yongjoo Kim
Senior Researcher
Highway Pavement Research Division
Korea Institute of Construction Technology

Content

Pavement Conditions in Mongolia

Polymer-Modified Warm-Mix Asphalt (PWMA)

Development of PWAM Customized for

Mongolian Road Condition
Field Applications of PWAM Customized for
Mongolian Road Condition

Conclusions
2

KICT Activity in Mongolia

KICT is collaborating with MRT, MRA, UB, ESTO to contribute
to improve Mongolian road condition
MOU

Technical
Support

Training

1st International Mongolia Road Expo & Conference

Key Factors of Building Good Asphalt Pavement

If anyone wants to build good pavement, you
should consider the following four key factors.
Material
Selection

High quality and

consistent materials
should be selected
based on the
standard
specification.

Mix Design

Production

Construction

Laboratory mix
design and
performance tests
should be
conducted at well
equipped
laboratory.

Mixing and
producing
temperatures
should be controlled
accurately at
asphalt plant.

Paving and
compacting process
should be proceed
with proper
temperature.

Design Aggregate Structure

Bitumen & Aggregate

Design Binder Content

Causes of Early Failures in Mongolian Road

1. Traffic Loading

2. Environment Loading

Base and Subbase

3. Inappropriate Materials

4. No Quality Control of
Pavement Construction

Ulaanbaatar City Road

Bad Smoothness

Stripping

Thermal Crack

Too thin asphalt layer leads to create crack

faster and other distress
Construction
Joint

Korea

Mongolia

Surface Layer

5cm
6cm

3cm

Surface Layer

Intermediate Layer

4cm

Base Layer

Base Layer

15cm

Crushed Aggregate

Crushed Aggregate

30cm

18cm

South Gobi Road

Heavy Traffic

Early Failure after

1 year Service Life
Cold Weather

No QA/QC

Polymer-Modified Asphalt
Polymer-Modified Asphalt Mixture
Polymer-Modified Asphalt

+
Asphalt

+
Polymer

=
Aggregate
Polymer-modified asphalt
coats aggregates to
enhance adhesion

Polymer-modified asphalt is
a composition of bitumen
and polymer

Asphalt
Polymer

Aggregate

Aggregate

9
9

Polymer-Modified Asphalt Covers Wide Range of

Temperature

This is the benefit

of the Polymer

PG 70-34
Polymer-Modified Asphalt

PG 58-28
Unmodified Bitumen

-50 -40

-30 -20 -10

10

20

30

40

50

60

Temperature C
10

70

80

Roles of Polymer-Modified Asphalt Pavement

Plastic Deformation
(Rutting)

Low Temperature
Cracking

PMA Pavement

Heavy Traffic Condition

Cold Weather Condition

leads to 1) Improve rutting resistance

2) Reduce fatigue cracking
3) Mitigate thermal cracking
4) Resist top-down cracking

Increasing pavement life

11

Considerations of Using Polymer-Modified Asphalt Mixture

Polymer-Modified Asphalt
Unmodified
Asphalt

Polymer-Modified
Asphalt

Polymer-Modified Asphalt (PMA) mixture

should be produced at 170C to 190C
and compacted at 140C to 160C
because of maintaining mixtures
workability and compactability.
If appropriate temperatures are not
achieved, well coating aggregate and
required field density are not
guaranteed

Warm-mix asphalt technology

can reduce producing and
compacting temperature of
polymer-modified asphalt
mixture to maintain its
workability and compactability
12

Warm-Mix Asphalt Technology

WMA technology allows the mixing, paving, and compaction of
asphalt mixes at significantly lower temperatures (30C) than
conventional HMA
Warm-Mix
Warm-Mix Asphalt
Asphalt Pavement
Pavement

Hot-Mix
Hot-Mix Asphalt
Asphalt Pavement
Pavement

Production
Temperature
Construction
Temperature

180C

180C

160C

160C

140C

140C

120C
100C
80C

Production
Temperature
Construction
Temperature

13

120C
100C
80C

Benefits of Warm-Mix Asphalt

By decreased production,
and compaction
temperatures, we have
many benefits
Production Process
1. Saving Energy
2. Reducing Emissions
Paving Process
1. Better workability and
compactability
2. Extending Constriction
Period
3. Early Traffic Open

WARM

WARM

HOT

HOT

14

Reduction of Traffic Open Time

Temperature Monitoring

Temperature vs. Time

Temperature (C)

Early Site Open

(Lead to save indirect cost)

Time (min)

WMA Pavement
5 hrs 20 min

HMA Pavement
7 hrs 30 min
15

Extension of Compaction Temperature of Warm-Mix

Asphalt Pavements

200C

Hot-Mix
Asphalt

Warm-Mix
Asphalt

180C

1st

2nd

3rd

Compaction

Compaction

Compaction

160C

140C

1st

120C

100C

2nd

1st

WMA provides longer compaction time

WMA provides longer construction period

80C

3rd

2nd

60C

40C

20C

Not
compactable

Not
compactable

3rd

Better workability
and
comapctability
16

Extension of Paving Construction Period in Cold Region

WMA technology would extend construction period, about 2 months

in Mongolia, WMA mixtures are still workable and compactable at
low temperatures.
1

10

11

Current Period of Road Construction

in Mongolia (6 months)
Hot-Mix Asphalt Pavement

Changed Period of Road Construction

in Mongolia (7.5 months)
Extended period of road construction will encourage to build
more roads in Mongolia
Warm-Mix Asphalt Pavement
17

12

LEADCAP WMA Technology

In 2009, the Korea Institute of

Construction Technology (KICT)
and Kumho Petrochemical, Ltd.
developed a new warm-mix
asphalt technology.
Named Low Energy and Low
Carbon-Dioxide Asphalt
Pavement (LEADCAP)
LEADCAP is an additive of a
wax-based composition including
a crystal controller and an
adhesion promoter.
Easy to reduce viscosity of
bitumen to be compacted at
warm temperature

LEADCAP Family

LEADCAP-B

(Base)

LEADCAP-M

(Modified)

LEADCAP-A

(Advanced)

18

Why We Should Use Polymer-Modified Warm-Mix Asphalt

(PWMA) Pavement in Mongolia
Build durable and long life pavement in cold region
Low temperature
Environment Loading

Heavy Traffic
Traffic Loading

Construction Defect
Quality Control &
Quality Assurance

Base and Subbase

Thermal Crack
Mitigate thermal cracking

Rutting
Improve rutting resistance

Overall Damage
Manage temperatures

Polymer Modified Asphalt (PMA)

Warm-Mix Asphalt

SBS (Styrene-Butadiene-Styrene Block Copolymer)

Wax based composition

Low viscosity

Rubber : Elastic recovery properties

19

Development of Polymer-Modified Warm-Mix Asphalt

(PWMA) Customized for Mongolian Weather and Traffic
Conditions
Polymer + LEADCAP

PMA

N2 Polymer

N4 Polymer

WMA
LEADCAP WMA additive

Improving
engineering
properties,
particularly, crack
resistance at low
temperature and
rutting resistance at
high temperature
Improving
workability
Providing better
compaction on the
road and the ability
to haul paving mix
for longer distance
Extending the paving
season by being able
to pave at lower
temperature
20

Ductility and Viscosity Results

Ductility

The ductility of WMA PMA-N2 and

WMA PMA-N4 increases about
17.3cm to 21.9 C compared to
straight asphalt.
It indicates that WMA PMA would
be more flexible than straight
asphalt at room temperature.

Viscosity

The rotational viscosity of WMA

PMA-N2 and WMA PMA-N4
decreases about 0.9Pa.s to
1.1Pa.s compared to straight
asphalt.
It is good indicator of
effectiveness of WMA additive to
reduce the viscosity of polymermodified asphalt at 135 C
21

22

19.97
19.97 20.46
20.46

-- 1515- 1
1

48.4
48.4

19.83
19.83 20.06
20.06

-- 15
15

g
g

b
b h
h (( )
)

48.28
48.28
48.57
48.57

N
N
384.40
384.40
297.10
297.10
326.60
326.60

336.03
336.03

5.78
5.78
4.27
4.27
4.68
4.68

4.91
4.91

d
d (( )
)

M
MP
Pa
a (( N
N /
/))

))

((

5.77
5.77
4.46
4.46
4.90
4.90

5.04
5.04

(
( ))

1.21
1.21
1.19
1.19
1.15
1.15

1.18
1.18

64.70
64.70
63.43
63.43
61.24
61.24

63.12
63.12

(W
> 400
(W ))>
400

kP
kP a
a
6994.88
6994.88
5300.17
5300.17
5625.28
5625.28

5973.44
5973.44

(S
(S )<
)< 100
100

M
MP
Pa
a
4.77
4.77
3.59
3.59
4.07
4.07

4.14
4.14

Low Temp.

19.78
19.78 20.58
20.58

-- 1515- 2
2

A
r.
Av
vr.

WARM
PMA
Bitumen

Rem
Remarks
arks :: SBS13%
SBS13% -- 15
15

Unmodified
Bitumen

PWMA
Bitumen
Unmodified
Bitumen

Deformation (mm)

34
28
High Temp.

Force
(MPa)

58
PG 58-28

70

PG 70-34

Cold Bending Test

Performance Grade

Flexibility

PG & Flexibility at Low Temperature

Polymer-Modified WMA Pavement Successfully Debut

in Mongolia in 2012

23

Field Application of PWMA Pavement in Mongolia

2012

2013

South
Gobi Road
UKHAA KHUDAG
GASHUUN SUKHAIT
Project
Site

Ulaanbaatar City
Road

Ulaanbaatar City
Road

Project
Site

Project
Site

24

Mix Design Results and Cross Section

South Gobi

Ulaanbaatar

OAC(%)

Air Void(%)

OAC(%)

Air Void(%)

HMA
(Unmodified asphalt)

5.2

4.3

HMA
(Unmodified asphalt)

5.2

4.3

PWMA-1

5.2

4.0

WMA (LEADCAP)

5.2

4.0

PWMA-2

5.4

3.8

PWMA

5.4

3.8

25

Field Trials of PWMA Pavement in South Gobi Road in 2012

Condition

Information

Weather Condition

2012.09 (Fall)

Mix Type

19mm Dense-Graded Asphalt

Additive Type-1

PWMA -1

Additive Type-2

PWMA-2

Mixing Type with

LEADCAP

Plant-mixed

Mixing Temp.

1505C (PWMA-1)
1555C (PWMA-2)

Compaction Temp.

1405C (PWMA-1)
1455C (PWMA-2)

Gmm (g/ )
Core Density (g/
)
Air Voids (%)

HMA

PWMA-1

PWMA-2

2.505

2.492

2.499

2.267

2.295

2.305

9.5

7.9

7.8

26

Field Trials of PWMA Pavement in Ulaanbaatar City Road

in 2012
Condition

Information

Weather Condition

2012.09 (Fall)

Mix Type

13mm Dense-Graded Asphalt

Additive Type-1

WMA(LEADCAP)

Additive Type-2

PWMA(PMA+LEADCAP)

Mixing Type

Plant-mixed

Mixing Temperature

1405C (WMA)
1505C (PWMA)

Compaction
Temperature

1305C (WMA)
1405C (PWMA)

Gmm (g/ )
Core Density (g/
)
Air Voids (%)

HMA

WMA

WMA PMA

2.388

2.443

2.437

2.344

2.341

2.382

1.8

4.1

2.5

27

Field Trials of PWMA Pavement in Ulaanbaatar City Road

in 2013
Condition

Information

Weather Condition

2013.09 (Fall)

Mix Type

13mm Dense-Graded Asphalt

Additive Type-2

PWMA(STE-M3)

Mixing Type

Plant-mixed

Mixing Temperature

1505C (PWMA)

Compaction
Temperature

1405C (PWMA)

28

Quality Control with KICT Researchers

29

Training and Technical Know-How Transfer

30

Everyone is Smiling because We Successfully Built New

PWMA Pavement in Mongolia

31

Conclusions
1.

Early distresses, such as cracks and rutting, have occurred from

Mongolian pavements due to heavy traffic, severe weather condition
and inappropriate quality control of paving construction.

2.

Polymer-modified warm-mix asphalt(PWMA) is selected to enhance

rutting and crack resistances at high and low temperatures.

3.

Polymer-modified warm-mix asphalt(PWMA) is selected to reduce the

mixing and compacting temperatures and to provide better
compaction on the road and ability to haul paving mix for longer
distances.

4.

The PWMA field trials were successfully completed in South Gobi road
and Ulaanbaatar road.

5.

Field experiences confirmed that PWMA is effective to produce and

compact asphalt mixture at temperature of 20C lower than
conventional PMA mixture.

6.

Long-term performance and durability of PWMA pavements should be

monitored and researched further.
32

NOTHING is not an Option

Samsung Smart Phone

Hyundai Automobile

Polymer-Modified WarmMix Asphalt (PWMA)

Pavement will leads to
improve road condition in
Mongolia
33

2nd International Mongolia Road Expo & Conference

March 21-22, 2014., Buyant-Ukhaa Sports Palace

Thank You