Evaluation of the effect of titanium dioxide on hot mix asphalt mixtures for flexible pavement at high temperatures

The effect of high temperatures on flexible pavements is reflected in the failures that they may present. This stands out in those pavements where there was a bad construction process or where adequate maintenance was not carried out. In this article, the use of titanium dioxide in a mixture with modified asphalt emulsion with SBS polymer is evaluated to improve its stability at high temperatures. For this, wet abrasion tests, loaded wheel and surface temperature data collection are carried out to check if the addition of titanium dioxide can improve the performance of a pavement in places with high heat indices.The results indicate that, by adding titanium dioxide at a value of 3% by mass of aggregate, the values of abrasion and loaded wheel improve due to the greater presence of fines in the mixture. In addition, the surface temperature decreases by 5 °C when is compared to the conventional mix.