PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF AN EXPERIMENTAL FIELD PROJECT UTILIZING ASPHALT MODIFIERS

Utilization of a mix design that will resist rutting is crucial to the life expectancy of a pavement.Drainage problems associated with rutting distress contribute to safety problems and accelerate pavement deterioration.In an effort to combat rutting in Montana, a series of experimental test sections utilizing polymer modifiers were installed along Interstate 94 Prairie County Line West Project, in eastern Montana.These sections were monitored for a period of five years by Montana State University -Bozeman.Monitoring of the test sections consisted of annual evaluations of the test sections via the use of a visual distress survey and the production of transverse pavement profiles at set locations.In addition to the annual evaluations, laboratory testing was performed on pavement cores acquired before construction of the existing pavement and after placement of the overlays to determine if a correlation existed between Marshall pavement properties and rutting.This thesis focuses on results of the five-year monitoring of the polymer-modified test sections and the results of the laboratory testing of the pavement cores.The findings of this study indicate that utilization of polymer modifiers has quantifiable benefits in rut resistance for an asphalt pavement.