Influence of preparation methods on the performance of cold-mixed epoxy bitumen

Cold-mixed epoxy bitumen (CEB) has been presented as an eco-friendly paving material used for steel bridge deck pavements. This study performed an investigation on three preparation methods of CEBs, which includes one kind of three-component and two kinds of two-component methods. The curing process was characterized through the viscosity measurement. Meanwhile, the microstructure of CEBs was observed using fluorescence microscopy. Mechanical properties of CEBs prepared with different methods were characterized by employing direct tensile tests and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Finally, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA/DTG) was conducted to feature the thermal stability of CEBs. The results indicated that the preparation methods significantly affected the performance of cured CEBs, although the same mix design was adopted. The curing temperature determined the curing rate of CEBs, while the preparation methods dominated the morphological characteristic of cured CEBs. The three-component preparation method can achieve acceptable mechanical performance for engineering requirements. As for two-component methods, the curing agent is supposed to be mixed with bitumen to obtain satisfying microstructures of CEBs.