The Influence of a Polymer Powder on the Properties of a Cold-Recycled Mixture with Foamed Bitumen

The paper investigates the influence of redispersible polymer powder (RPP) on the physical and mechanical properties of a cold-recycled mixture with foamed bitumen (CRM-FB). Four types of RPP with a varied chemical base were used: VA-VeoVA, VA-VeoVa-Ac, EVA and VA/VV/E/Ac. The polymer powder-modified cold recycled mixture with foamed bitumen, (P)CRM-FB, was composed of 45.8% reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), 45.8% natural aggregate (VA), 3.0% Portland cement CEM I 42,5R, 3.0% foamed bitumen 50/70 and 3.0% RPP, all dosed by weight. The reference mixture, (R)CRM-FB, served as a reference point for comparison. It was found that RPP improved the workability of the CRM-FB mixture. This results in a reduced number of compaction cycles and lower energy needed to obtain the air void content as in the reference mixture. In addition, the RPP modifier markedly increased the CRM-FB mixture cohesion (ITS(DRY)) and strength, by approximately 40–70%, depending on the RPP used. These findings are particularly important for CRM-FB mixtures designed for road bases. The present investigations confirmed the improvement of the CRM-FB mixture parameters after the modification with RPP, regardless of the powder type used.