The effect of pre-vulcanized latex usage on Marshall characteristics and stiffness modulus in hot mix asphalt wearing course (AC-WC) mixtures

Flexible pavement itself uses asphalt binder as a binding material between aggregates, but with the increasing number of vehicle loads, the ability of flexible pavement needs to be improved. A rubber is a natural polymer material that can be used to improve asphalt mixtures’ performance. This paper aims to analyze the effect of using pre-vulcanized latex on characteristics in hot mix asphalt wearing course mixtures. Pre-vulcanized latex is used as a substitute material for asphalt binder at levels of 7% and 9% by weight. Based on Marshall test results, the AC-WC mixture using pre-vulcanized latex achieved Marshall stability of 11.63 kN or increased by 32.28% at 7% content, while at 9%, it resulted in Marshall stability of 10.69 kN or increased by 21.06%, compared to the specification limit, which is 8.83 kN. The stiffness modulus test results of the asphalt mixture showed that at a temperature of 25°C, there was an increase of 17.46% and 28.26%, respectively, when using pre-vulcanized latex at levels of 7% and 9%. These findings indicate that the use of pre-vulcanized latex as a partial replacement for asphalt has a positive impact on temperature changes in the pavement material.