ABSTRACT

Terminal blend rubberized asphalt (TBRA) has attracted wide attention for its environmentally friendly characteristics, but the understanding of its crack resistance performance and mechanism is still limited. To address this, this study evaluated the crack resistance of TBRA mixture and compared it with plain and SBS-modified asphalt mixtures using the Semi-Circular Bend (SCB) test. Furthermore, the crack resistance mechanism of TBRA mixtures was analyzed through Binder Bond Strength (BBS) test and digital image technology. The results show that increasing the content of degraded rubber powder in TBRA mixtures significantly weakens their bonding strength, thereby reducing their crack resistance performance. Digital image technology indicates that the TBRA mixture is more prone to local plastic deformation compared to the regular asphalt mixture. Therefore, in the future, it may be necessary to reduce the extent of rubber powder degradation to improve the crack resistance of TBRA mixtures.