On Monday, January 13, 2025, the College of Engineering at the University of Baghdad hosted the public defense of the Master’s thesis by Maha Mohammed Abdulghafoor from the Civil Engineering Department. Her thesis, titled “Evaluating the Effect of Recycled Polypropylene Polymer on the Moisture-Induced Damage of Asphalt Mixtures Incorporating Recycled Concrete Aggregate”, was presented in Dr. Khalid Shaker Hall. Under the supervision of Professor Dr. Mohammed Qadir Ismael, the research aimed to investigate how the incorporation of recycled polypropylene polymer (RPP) and recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) can enhance the moisture resistance of asphalt mixtures.
The study explored replacing raw coarse aggregates with treated and untreated RCA in varying proportions (20%, 40%, and 60%) and adding different proportions of RPP (2%, 4%, and 6%) by weight of asphalt. The work found that mixtures containing both RPP and treated or untreated RCA demonstrated the highest tensile strength ratios, with 20% RCA and 2% RPP showing the best performance.
Following the defense, Maha Mohammed Abdulghafoor was awarded a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering / Highway and Transportation Engineering.
