ABSTRACT
SUMMARY: The aim of the current chapter was to assess the utilization of recycled tires in hot mix asphalt. The blending of ground recycled tires with asphalt binder has been shown in both field and laboratory evaluations to significantly improve the performance of asphalt binders. Specifically, the high temperature performance grade of the asphalt binder is seen to increase significantly with the addition of crumb rubber. Numerous field evaluations have shown that the use of rubberized asphalt, while more expensive, leads to improved pavements requiring less maintenance. From an environmental standpoint, the benefits of rubberized asphalt are also significant. Within the scientific community, there is widespread agreement that rubberized asphalt produces superior performing asphalt compared to conventional binder. As such, the future of paving materials lies with polymer modified asphalt as these produce more durable pavements, which in the long run require less maintenance thus costing less. Future research in this field might involve the incorporation of various recycled materials and other technologies, doing so will provide superior pavements which are also more sustainable.
