Impact of different ageing levels on binder rheology

This paper evaluates the variability of binder rheology for different ageing levels and the influence of ageing at different testing temperatures. Three different ageing levels were applied on a single type of bitumen with a penetration grade of 70/100.The artificial ageing of the binder was performed using the rolling thin-film oven test and the pressure ageing vessel. The rheological behaviour was investigated at low temperatures with the bending beam rheometer (BBR) and at medium and high temperatures with the dynamic shear rheometer (DSR). Several experiments were conducted to determine the range of stiffness and complex modulus results, the type of distribution comparing real and theoretical models, and the effects of ageing on the variability of the rheological behaviour. It was shown that not only the mean results from BBR and DSR tests change with ageing, but also the variability of the results changes with ageing. This would have an impact on mechanistic-empirical pavement design because it would influence the calculated stresses and strains as well as the calculated reliability.