Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 4 hours ago

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Polymer additives are used in virgin asphalt binders to protect pavement damage from road cracking and running, a result of traffic and weather. When reclaimed asphalt pavement, or RAP is added, the polymer content can be diluted, impacting effectiveness and lowering performance.
The Texas Department of Transportation and the Center for Transportation Research evaluated commercial and lab made binders containing RAP for elasticity and polymer content. This research looks to determine how much polymer dilution occurs and develop specification language for usage in TxDOT materials.

For more information on research project 0-7197, check out the TxDOT Research Library project record here: 

https://library.ctr.utexas.edu/Presto/content/Detail.aspx?ctID=M2UxNzg5YmEtYzMyZS00ZjBlLWIyODctYzljMzQ3ZmVmOWFl&rID=MTA4Nw==&qrs=RmFsc2U=&q=NzE5Nw==&ph=VHJ1ZQ==&bckToL=VHJ1ZQ==&rrtc=VHJ1ZQ==

For access to all TxDOT research and more, please visit the TxDOT Research Library at https://ctr.utexas.edu/library/