Polymers represent the most important family of bitumen modifiers. Depending on the type of polymer, the specifications of bitumen under different temperatures change. For example, polymers make bitumen resistant to heating cracks. Modifying the bitumen specifications boosts the quality of the product and increases its longevity. As a result, the costs of preservation will decline sharply. The daily growing development of polymers and their diversity have caused widespread research on these materials across the world. SBS is one of the best modifying polymers with both thermoplastic and rubber specifications.
Although polymer modified bitumen costs higher than pure bitumen, they are considered to be more economical because of economic benefits of lower costs of road repairs.
The polymers widely used for modifying bitumen are SBS, EVA, APP, LDPE, LLDE, HDPE, SBR, SEBS and SIS.
