Changes in the properties of road binders during UV irradiation

Ensuring decent transport accessibility for all regions of the Russian Federation is a very difficult task. And the service properties of road binders play an important role in this regard, since all measures to keep highways in working condition are carried out already during their operation. In regions with different geographical locations, these conditions can differ significantly in terms of natural and climatic parameters (maximum and minimum operating temperatures, the number and periods of different types, etc.), therefore, it is important to take into account regional requirements for the properties of asphalt concrete mixtures materials, in particular bitumen and binders, even at the stage of tracing and designing roads based on them. For example, until recently, the issues of short-term and long-term aging of binders were practically ignored. But with the development of the methodology and the introduction of new regulatory and technical documents regulating the testing of binders according to these indicators, it became clear what a significant role these parameters play in the duration of the inter-repair periods. A similar situation is developing today, taking into account the impact of ultraviolet radiation on asphalt binders, especially in regions with a sharply continental climate. This study investigates this effect on the service of binders. Bitumen was exposed to radiation in the GOTECH GT-7035-EUAB UV aging chamber, which simulates natural road conditions during road operation. To exclude the influence of thermal oxygen aging, the temperature of the tests did not exceed 50°C. It is shown that the properties of bitumen and binders based on it depend unconditionally on the amount of absorbed radiation. It is proposed to consider styrene-containing divinyl polymers as protectors of UV irradiation.