Experimental Investigation of the Volatilization of Asphalts under Different Conditions

To study the possibilities of volatilization in the asphalt pavement during service process, this paper presented an experimental investigation in the laboratory-based environment by simulating the circumstances of Infrared (IR) and Ultraviolet Radiation (UV). The Vacuum (Va) condition was also conducted to discuss the possibilities of volatilization in the asphalts. The changes of asphalt mass, chemical compositions and viscosity were conducted to analyze the experimental results. All the results on the circumstance of Va, that the decrement of asphalt mass, the decrement of light components and the increment of VI values, indicated that there may exist the volatilization in the asphalt. Different trends between IR and UV with asphalts demonstrate that the volatilization is affected by asphalt species and environmental conditions. In addition, ultraviolet radiation may take a vital role on the volatilization of asphalt.