Plastic Waste Sheets Effects on Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement Performances

This paper aims to examine physical and mechanical performances of a Reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) material reinforced with 5 to 15 mm size sheets of plastic waste. The three types of plastic used in the study are: low density polyethylene (LDPE), high density polyethylene (HDPE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) with 1%, 1.5%, and 2% dosage by weight of aggregates.

Obtained Duriez test results testify to a 9% to 30% improvement in moisture resistance for all types of plastic compared to virgin mixture while for LDPE waste plastic type workability test attests an acceptable compaction condition for RAP material with less than 1.5% of waste plastic.

Nevertheless, it has been noticed an increase in void index and compaction difficulties starting from 1.5% dosage, resistance to rutting has also improved with the addition of waste plastic, an improvement in fatigue strength was also observed particularly at 2% dosage.