Investigation on the compaction temperature effect on reactivating aged bitumen of 100% RAP mixtures

Growing demands for using natural resources by pavement industries increased the tendency among engineering communities to maximize the utilization of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) in new pavements layers in order to decrease the usage of natural resources and environmental effects; however, the performance of mixtures containing RAP is still the main concern. This could be even more critical in case of incorporating a high amount of RAP. The main goal of this research, as a preliminary part of a general research study on mixtures containing high RAP, is to evaluate the effects of compaction temperature on compaction properties, volumetric characteristics and mechanical performance on bituminous mixtures made of 100% RAP. Results suggest that it is possible to use compaction temperature for reactivating the aged bitumen into the RAP instead of using rejuvenators, as suggested by the available literature.