Road pavement rehabilitation using a binder with a high content of crumb rubber: influence on noise reduction

Abstract

Although performance of pavements depend on the characteristics of materials used, design accuracy and construction quality, crumb rubber modified binders (CRMB) are materials with an increasing use in road pavements due to their enhanced properties and to the environmental protection by re-using a waste material. This paper presents the laboratory characterization and the evaluation of field performances of a gap-graded mix with 20% of crumb rubber by weight of bitumen, added by a wet process. Acoustical field characterization has been performed by determining, at different speeds, sound levels and noise spectra measured in close proximity. Road profiles along the test sections and sound absorption of compacted sample cores also have been studied to analyze their relationship with the noise emitted. Results show that the use of a binder modified with a high content of crumb rubber reduces the noise emitted by the tyre/pavement interaction.