Effects of Microwave Curing on the Chemical and Physical Properties of Epoxy Asphalt

As a long-life road surfacing material, epoxy asphalt has many benefits such as high strength, excellent bonding properties, high temperature stability, and high resistance to low temperature cracking. With the increasing use of epoxy asphalt in orthotropic steel bridge deck pavements, there has been an urgent need for a fast, easy, and reliable maintenance method. Microwave heating provides a promising method for epoxy asphalt curing. This study explored the possibility of using microwave heating for epoxy asphalt curing and investigated the effects of microwave heating on chemical and physical properties of epoxy asphalt. An epoxy asphalt suitable for microwave heating was prepared, tested for its tensile properties, and characterized using thermal analysis, infrared analysis, and microscopy tests. The results showed that the epoxy asphalt cured by microwave heating had a better ductility than that cured by conventional heating. The fluorescence and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) observations showed that microwave curing could reduce the size of asphalt particles dispersed in the continuous phase of epoxy, thus improving the compatibility between epoxy resin and asphalt.