• Suriya Shaffi Bhat
• Rumana Akram

Bitumen is a mixture of different organic materials, mostly of carbon and hydrogen. It is produced through vacuum distillation of petroleum. The viscoelastic behavior changes with temperature from solid to fluid and by cooling back in the original consistence. The bitumen binder can go through various problems in the field such as stripping from the aggregate, which can lead to cracking, rutting, depressions and potholes etc. Thus the binders can be modified by adding an additive to enhance its various properties. This binder in which an additive is added to make it better in its performance is called as modified binder. Modified binders are those bituminous binders whose properties have been modified by the use of additives. Bitumen binders have been modified in order to: • stiffen binders and mixes at high temperatures to minimize rutting • soften binders at low temperatures to improve relaxation properties and strain tolerance thus minimizing non-load associated thermal cracking • Improve fatigue resistance especially where higher strains are imposed on bituminous mixes. • Improve aggregate-bitumen bonding to reduce stripping • Improve bituminous pavement durability with accompanying net reduction in life cycle costs • permit thicker films of bitumen on aggregate in special bituminous mixes such as open graded asphalt friction course (porous asphalt) and stone matrix. Surfaced roads in India are very predominantly, if not entirely, constructed with the use of Bituminous binders. This is largely because these binders have been most suited to the major imperative of road development low initial cost, phased development, and ready availability. With the socio-economic progress in India, the road network has to be extended to more difficult environs. More importantly, traffic loads carried by the network have been growing heavier and heavier. These situations can be exemplified as follows: • Heavy channelized traffic to be carried in tropical and sub-tropical locales with high temperatures; and high tyre pressures in trucks (need ability to resist permanent deformation/rutting). • Higher potential for developing fatigue cracking due to repeated loads (need elasticity for fatigue resistance) Higher potential for thermal cracking at sites where pavements are subjected to sub-zero temperatures for extended periods (need resistance to thermal cracking). Therefore, during the last two decades, highway engineers in India have become increasingly aware that there were indeed situations for which upgraded bituminous binders were needed.

Bituminous mix, Marshall Test, Stability, Aggregates,nano-material, modifier, zycotherm.

"A detailed study of performance of modified binder in design mixes", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.5, Issue 6, page no.133-136, June-2018, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1806142.pdf

"A detailed study of performance of modified binder in design mixes", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.5, Issue 6, page no. pp133-136, June-2018, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1806142.pdf