Evaluation the Effect of Polyvinyl Chloride on Moisture Sensitivity of HMA

Moisture damage is defined as loss of strength and durability of asphalt mixtures in the presence of water. In this study, the effect of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) polymer was evaluated as an asphalt binder modifier on the moisture damage of HMA. Indirect tensile test in dry and 1, 3 & 5 freeze-thaw conditions and thermodynamic method according to the measurements of surface free energy components of aggregates and asphalt binders were used for evaluating the effect of polymeric materials. The results of this study show that using of PVC cause an increase in the strength of the asphalt mixture against the moisture damage. Also, PVC increased the free energy of cohesion and reduced the debonding energy. These cause decreased in the rate of the moisture damage of asphalt mixtures.