Binder Contribution to Cracking of a Lightly Trafficked Asphalt Pavement Made with Clear Binder

This paper reports the findings of a technical investigation on the role of clear asphalt binder in the development of extensive block cracking in a lightly trafficked colored pavement. Visual inspection of the pavement surface was carried out together with detailed laboratory investigation on the rheological characteristics of the binder. The results showed that the tested clear binder is extremely viscous and harder than any bitumen grade specified by ASTM standards. Furthermore, the clear binder has much lower ductility compared to the conventional asphalt bitumen. The clear binder is almost 11 times more viscous than the conventional bitumen at the tested temperatures.