Abstract: Increasing the asphalt content in asphalt emulsion can effectively improve the road performance of asphalt mixtures. Based on this, the phase inversion method was adopted to prepare high-asphalt-content asphalt emulsions (HIACEs) with an asphalt mass fraction greater than 75%. The preparation process and the influence mechanisms of HIACEs' performance were studied through dispersibility tests, conductivity tests, particle size tests, storage stability tests, and residue evaporation tests. The results showed that the maximum asphalt mass fraction that could be "accommodated" in water-in-oil HIACEs was 96%. With the increase in asphalt content, emulsifier dosage, stirring time, and stirring rate, the average particle size of HIACEs decreased and stabilized, while the storage stability gradually improved. Orthogonal experiments further determined that the order of influence of preparation process conditions on HIACEs' performance decreased following: asphalt content > emulsifier content > stirring rate. The optimal preparation conditions for HIACEs were:an asphalt mass fraction of 89%, an emulsifier mass fraction of 4%,a stirring time of 10 min, and a stirring rate of 1000 r/min. The research results provide a theoretical foundation and technical support for the production and application of HIACEs.

Key words: emulsified asphalt, high asphalt content, catastrophic phase inversion, fabrication process