Investigation of Using Crushed Glass Waste as Filler Replacement in Hot Asphalt Mixtures

Abstract

Due to the depletion of natural aggregates and high maintenance cost of highway systems, developing sustainable asphalt concrete (AC) mixes that use waste materials instead of virgin raw materials is necessary. A large amount of waste glass material is globally generated per year that could be beneficial to sustain the asphalt industry. In this context, the present paper evaluates the properties and performance of AC mixtures that utilize crushed waste glass as a replacement material of filler aggregates. Three AC mixes with percentages of filler replacement in the range from 0%, 25%, to 50% were fabricated. Complex modulus testing was performed to evaluate the dynamic modulus |E*| and phase angle δ over a range of temperatures and loading frequencies. In addition, the flow number (FN) test was conducted to assess the rutting potential of the mixtures. The results showed that the mix containing 25% of crushed glass is likely to better resist fatigue cracking; however, the inclusion of glass in the AC reduced the rutting resistance compared to conventional hot mix asphalt (HMA). Finally, the results of the flow number test and the simple performance indicators were compared and used to rank the mechanical performance of the various mixtures.