Kelly Ray Sockwell

Technical Director
Phoenix Industries, LLC
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Asociacin Mexicana del Asfalto, A.C.
Asphalt Rubber Paving
Process Overview
Seminario Internacional del Asfalto
Len, Guanajuato
Waste Tire Issues
What is Asphalt Rubber
Types of Asphalt Pavements That Utilize Rubber
Produced from Waste Tires
Why Use Tire Rubber In Pavements
Different Tire Recycling Processes
Special Equipment Requirements Related to Pumping,
Metering and Storage of High Viscous Rubber Binders
Sampling and Field Testing of Asphalt Rubber Binders
Cost Effectiveness of Asphalt Rubber Binder



Outline


Waste Tire Issues


Tire piles can increase the risk of mosquito
borne illnesses such as Malaria, Dengue
Fever and Encephalitis
Toxic smoke and contaminated run-off
are produced from tire fires
Stockpiles of waste tires continue to
grow in many countries around the world
American Society for Testing Materials ASTM
D6114

Asphalt Rubber a blend of asphalt cement, reclaimed tyre
rubber and certain additives in which the rubber component is at
least 15% by weight of the total blend and has reacted in the hot
asphalt cement sufficiently to cause swelling of the rubber
particles.
The Wet Process.

What is Asphalt Rubber?

It is a high performance modified asphalt binder that contains
ground tyre rubber produced from waste car & truck tyres.

Typically, most asphalt rubber binders will contain 17% - 20% crumb rubber

Asphalt Rubber
Minimum 15% Crumb Rubber

Asphalt Rubber Binder
18% Crumb Rubber Content
Neat, Virgin Bitumen,
Polymer Modified,
Terminal Blend

Test Performed
Viscosity, Haake
at 177C, Pa-s
Resilience at 25C, %
Rebound (ASTM D5329)
Ring & Ball Softening
Point, C (ASTM D36)
Needle Penetration at 4C,
200 g, 60 sec., 1/10 mm
(ASTM D5)
Specified Limits
1.5 4.0
25 Minimum
55 Minimum
10 Minimum
Asphalt Rubber - Binder Outline

Significantly higher binder content without drain down
Advantages of High Viscous Asphalt Rubber Binder
Thicker film thickness on aggregate:
Reduced oxidation - Increased durability - Increased resistance to reflective cracking
Asphalt Rubber Hot Mix

In the wet process the crumb rubber particle is not digested, it
remains intact all the way to the finished paving mix.
Chip Seal Applications

Types of Asphalt Pavements That Utilize
Rubber Produced from Tires
Hot Mix Applications

Types of Asphalt Pavements That Utilize
Rubber Produced from Tires
Why Use Tire Rubber In Pavements
Good For The Environment!
Safe!!
Durable!!!
Eliminates Waste Tires
Better Skid Resistance
Longer Lasting
175mm of Conventional Asphalt
After 13 Years in Service
100mm of Asphalt Rubber
After 13 Years in Service
Asphalt Rubber
Environmental Benefits
Use Less Natural Resources
75mm reduction of thickness equals a savings of approximately 1,350 tons of asphalt mix per lane kilometer
1,350 mix tons X $65.00/ton = $87,750 cost savings per lane kilometer
1,350 mix tons X 6 ton/CO2 = 8,100 ton reduction of CO2 per lane kilometer
Asphalt Rubber / Durability
Los Angeles 1990
4 years / 35mm AR Gap Graded Hot Mix
Asphalt Rubber / Durability
Los Angeles 1993
7 years / 35mm AR Gap Graded Hot Mix
Asphalt Rubber / Durability
Los Angeles 1996
10 years / 35mm AR Gap Graded Hot Mix
Asphalt Rubber / Durability
East Texas, State Highway
8 Year Old 30mm AR
Porous Friction Course
Original Pavement
SBS Polymer
Modified Overlay
FHWA / ALF Testing
Accelerated Load Facility
Concrete Weights
U.S. Federal Highway Administration
ALF Test Photos
CONVENTIONAL
ASPHALT
100,000 Loaded
Passes
TERMINAL
BLEND
100,000 Loaded
Passes
SBS
POLYMER
300,000 Loaded
Passes
ASPHALT
RUBBER
300,000 Loaded
Passes
Crumb Rubber Production Mechanical/Ambient Process
The mechanical systems uses a series of shredders, granulators and mills
working at ambient temperature to produce small rubber particles.
Crumb Rubber Production Cryogenic Process
Cryogenic systems use nitrogen to super-cool tires making them extremely
brittle. The cold rubber is then processed through a hammer mill that
shatters the rubber into small particles.
Ambient Produced / Jagged, Torn Edges
30 40% Elastic Recovery
Crumb Rubber Morphology
Cryogenic Produced / Sharp, Angular Edges
10 15% Elastic Recovery
Microscopic View of 20 Mesh Size (0.84mm) Rubber Particles
Asphalt Rubber / Production
Hundreds of millions of
waste tires are generated
worldwide each year
1,250 waste tires used
per lane kilometer in a
50mm overlay

Waste tires are processed into clean,
metal & fiber free crumb rubber
Crumb rubber is blended with the
bitumen and used as the binder to
produce asphalt rubber hot mix
The asphalt rubber hot mix is then
used in a typical paving procedure
Portable Asphalt Rubber Blending Unit
Hot Oil Heater
High Speed / High Shear
Mixer
Reaction Tank
Heat Exchanger
Rubber Hopper
Blending Unit
Setup At Typical
Hot Plant Site
Control Cabinet
Drum Plant
Batch Plant
Hot Plant Bitumen Tank
Blending Plant Bitumen Tank
Hot Mix Plant
Blending Unit
Bag House
Reaction Tank
Generator
Large Production Mobile Asphalt Rubber
Blending Plant at Hot Plant Site
Inside View of Reaction Tank
Hot oil heating tubes
62CM diameter
horizontal agitation auger
As The Blending Process Proceeds, A/R Binder Is Transferred To The Reaction Tank Where It Is
Heated and Maintained At The Specified Temperature (160 - 190 C ), Agitated & Circulated For
The Specified Reaction Time
Handling High Viscous Asphalt Rubber Binder


Heat exchanger to raise the
temperature of the incoming
bitumen before adding the
crumb rubber
High speed / high
shear mixer unit with
watered cooled
bearings
Specialized heat
jacketed pumps
Mass Flow (Coriolis) Meter
Hot Plant Connections
Binder Supply Line Connects Directly To Hot Mix Plant,
Completely Bypassing Their Tank and Pump
Single Hose Connection For Drum Plant
Two Hose Connection For Batch Plant
Crumb Rubber Handling
Crumb Rubber Is Delivered To Site In One Ton
Super Sacks (approx. 1,000 Kilos each)
22 24 Bags Per Truck Load
Bags Are Loaded Into Blending Unit With Forklift
Bag Buster / Cutter
Typically 14 20
Mesh Gradation
Depending On
Binder Design
Asphalt Rubber Binder - Field Testing

1,500 4,000 cP (Centipoise) @ 177 C
Rion viscometer or equivalent
Viscometer must be calibrated
Viscosity range 1500 - 4000 cP @ 177 C
Target viscosity for hot mix binder is about 2000 - 3000 cP
Viscosity is a very good indicator of other binder properties
After Reaction Time Is Complete (15, 30,
45, 60 Minutes), A Sample Is Taken And
Checked For Viscosity
Why Crumb Rubber Has Become More Cost Effective
as a Bitumen Modifier


The price of SBS polymer modifiers tend to follow crude oil pricing
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Bitumen, Crude Oil, and Crumb Rubber Costs
Bitumen Crude Oil Crumb Rubber
Summary
The use of crumb rubber in asphalt paving is a
viable solution to help eliminate waste tires

With the use of specialized equipment, crumb
rubber can be used to modify asphalt binders

Under current market pricing crumb rubber is an
economic alternative to other bitumen modifiers

Thank You for Your Attention
Kelly Ray Sockwell
Technical Director
E-Mail: krs@PhoenixIndustries.com

Phoenix Industries, LLC
Ph: +1-702-893-4000
Fax: +1-702-893-4014
www.PhoenixIndustries.com