Asphalt and Plastic Bag Pavement Blocks according to the Asphalt Concrete Standards by Marshall Method

Abstract

The study on the ratio of asphalt and plastic bags affecting the quality of pavement blocks according to the asphalt concrete standard by Marshall method focused on finding the appropriate ratio for replacing 5% asphalt by using plastic bags in two ratios, i.e., 3:1 and 1:1 of 1,200 grams of aggregates consisting of different sizes of stone dust, i.e., 3/8” stone, 1/2" stone, 3/4” stone, and asphalt. After forming the pavement blocks based on the standard, they were then tested according to the Marshall method. It was found that the pavement blocks using both types of asphalt and plastic bag ratios had an effective asphalt volume of 5, a total specific gravity, a percentage of effective asphalt volume, and a value of air voids replaced by asphalt (voids filled with bitumen, V.F.B). The test showed that the pavement blocks with the ratio of 3:1 yielded higher values and were close to the standard while the ratio of 1:1 yielded lower values of air void and voids in mineral aggregates (V.M.A) and were closer to the standard. Thus, the study revealed that plastic bags can be used as mixtures without affecting the mechanical or physical properties of the materials.