Mechanical Performance Evolution of a Bituminous Mix Based on Dune Sand and a Polymer Modified Bitumen

Abstract

This work aims to evaluatelocal sand in road surface to replace the 0/3 crushed sand used in bituminous concrete thin surface layers for classical roads. The binder used is a 40/50 bitumen modified with a polymer called Lucobit 1210A produced locally. The approach followed is to vary the percentage of crushed and determine the optimal formulation. The resulting composites are subjected to the Hubbard Field stability test to evaluate their load resistance and corresponding deformation.Non-destructive tests using sonic wave propagation tests are also carried out in order to find possible correlations under two distinct conservation modes; in the open air and in the water.For this reason, the mechanical and sonic characteristics of bituminous concrete specimens in the presence of water at 18 and 60 °C are evaluated and compared with those kept in the open air.The obtained results correspond to the optimal composition: 60% SD + 40% SC for which a gain of more than 40% is recorded in the HF stabilities. To this end, the findings are more than satisfactory compared to local specifications, particularly in the case of roads with medium to low traffic.