Assessment of a Hot-Mix Asphalt Using Recycled Concrete Aggregate. Case of Study: High Temperature Climate.

In road infrastructure projects large quantities of naturally occurring aggregates (NA) are exploited and used to form asphalt layers in pavement structures. To reduce the negative environmental impact generated by this practice, these materials could be replaced by recycled concrete aggregates (RCA). In the present research, the change in stiffness under cyclic loading (resilient modulus – RM) and resistance to permanent deformation of an asphalt concrete mixture (HMA) was measured and evaluated when the coarse fraction (gravel and sand) of an NA is replaced by RCA in proportions of 20%, 40% and 80% concerning mass. The RM and permanent deformation were measured because Colombia is a country where high-temperature climate predominates, in one of the main damage mechanisms of HMAs is rutting. The results indicated an increase in the RM and the resistance to rutting of the HMA analyzed for any percentage of substitution. That is, the use of RCA as a substitute for NA could be a sustainable alternative, while at the same time, it could help increase the rutting resistance of HMA.