ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECT OF THERMOPLASTICS AND ELASTOMERS ON THE STIFFNESS AND RESISTANCE OF ASPHALT AT HIGH TEMPERATURES

Abstract

Indonesia, as a tropical country, faces serious challenges in maintaining the quality of road pavement due to extreme
temperatures that can reach 57°C, as observed on the runway of Aji Pangeran Tumenggung Pranoto Airport in
Samarinda. This study aims to analyze the effect of adding thermoplastic Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) polymer
and natural latex elastomer on the stiffness and resistance of 60/70 penetration asphalt at high temperatures. An
experimental research methodology with a factorial design was used to evaluate 55 samples with varying polymer
concentrations of 0%, 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, and 5% through penetration (SNI 2456:2011), ductility (SNI 2432:2011), and
softening point (SNI 2434:2011). The results showed that the addition of polymer significantly reduced the
penetration and ductility values but increased the softening point and penetration index. LDPE thermoplastics showed
superior effectiveness in increasing stiffness with an increase in softening point to 69.3°C compared to the base asphalt of
51°C. Based on the evaluation of standard KP 14 of 2021, the optimum concentration is 1-3% for thermoplastics and
1-4% for elastomers, providing the best balance between thermal resistance and flexibility required for sustainable road
infrastructure.