Influence of the particle sizes and densities of RAP on microwave heating efficiency

A new method was proposed for the evaluation of the efficiency of microwave heating asphalt mixtures and the influences of density and particle sizes of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP). Temperature distributions of asphalt mixtures with density of 1.35 and 2.02 t/m3 and particle size ranges of 3–6, 6–9.5, and 9.5–13.2 mm along the direction of microwave propagation were experimentally evaluated and the results obtained for the efficiency of microwave heating RAP with different densities and particle sizes were compared based on the proposed method. Also, increase of the particle size of RAP with basalt aggregates higher ability of microwave absorption.