Caracterización del asfalto ecuatoriano recuperado en vías de la Región Sierra.

Abstract

The objective of this work is to characterize, through physical and rheological tests, the behavior of aged Ecuadorian asphalt, recovered with Rotavapor equipment, from drilled cores in asphalt layers with three different placement times in the Sierra region. Three sections of the “Alóag-Santo Domingo” highway were selected, located in high-altitude areas (2,500 to 3,000 m). For the recovery of the asphalt, the procedures indicated in the standards ASTM D2172 and ASTM D5404 were used. Once the asphalt was recovered, the respective physical penetration tests (25 ᵒC, 100 g, 5 s), softening point and ductility (15 ᵒC, 1 cm/s) were carried out, as well as the rheological characterization by means of the Brookfield viscosity (135 ⁰C). All properties evaluated clearly reflect the impact of aging, as asphalt becomes harder and less ductile over time. The penetration decreased its initial value by 64%, the softening point increased by 27%, the ductility decreased by 73% and finally the viscosity increased by a high 502%. A comparison with values obtained in previous studies carried out in the coastal region shows that for all the properties evaluated there is a greater impact of aging in the coastal region than in the mountains. This corroborates the criterion that the main factor that affects aging is the high average temperature (thermal oxidation).