Polymer modified bitumen asphalt, a proposed solution for UAE pavement deterioration

The traffic volume in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has tremendously risen in the last decade due to the fast-pace development of the country. This increase in traffic volume combined with the harsh environment of the UAE causes the deterioration of asphalt pavements to accelerate all around the country, especially in areas of congested traffic. To understand the main mechanisms of pavement deterioration present in UAE roads a field examination of asphalt pavements in congested areas in the UAE was performed. The field examination recognized six main problems in UAE pavements: mix rutting, subgrade rutting, fatigue cracking, bleeding, raveling, and potholes. Then an investigation was been carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of using Styrene-Butadiene-Styrene (SBS) polymer modified bitumen (PMB) asphalt to help improve the deterioration problems. A group of standard experiments were performed on both standard asphalt and polymer modified asphalt samples. The experimental investigation shows that, the SBS-PMB asphalt had favorable stability, stiffness, flow and density results. Based on the field observations and the experimental investigation, polymer modified bitumen asphalt is proposed to be used in new constructed roads to help reduce the amount of deterioration and maintenance cost in the UAE.