Evaluation of the Effects of Climatic Conditions on Modulus of Base Materials with Recycled Asphalt Pavement

The use of recycled materials for construction is beneficial to both the environment and the economy. Recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) is one of the most commonly used recycled materials. Different state departments of transportation allow the use of RAP in base materials at different percentages. Characterization of the resilient modulus of base materials with RAP is important for proper pavement design. In addition, the models used in the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) for traditional materials need to be verified for base materials with RAP, due to the unique properties of asphalt in RAP. This study evaluated the effects of moisture and temperature on the resilient modulus of base materials with different percentages of RAP. The models for the effects of moisture content on the resilient modulus of unbound materials were evaluated using crushed aggregates with RAP. In addition, models were proposed to account for the effects of temperature on the resilient modulus of base materials with RAP. The effects of the percentage of RAP on frozen moduli were also investigated.