## 3 Results and Discussion  
### 3.1. Asphalt Binder Performance Analysis  
#### 3.1.1 Shear Performance of Asphalt Binders  
The measured penetration depth values and the calculated shear strength of SSEA are shown in Figures 8 and 9. The purpose of the cone penetration test is to evaluate SSEA's shear properties. The smaller the penetration depth value, the greater the shear strength and the better the shear resistance of the SSEA [35; 36].  
Figure 8 shows that at the same temperature, with the increase in asphalt content, the penetration depth value of SSEA gradually increases, indicating that the SSEA is becoming softer. At lower temperatures, the difference in penetration depth value is slight, and at 20 \({}^{\circ}\)C, the difference in cone penetration of SSEA with different asphalt contents is less than 2. At higher temperatures, the difference in penetration depth value is significant, with a maximum difference of 15% at 60 \({}^{\circ}\)C. This indicates the high-temperature sensitivity of asphalt materials [42; 43]. For the same kind of asphalt binder, the penetration depth value incidence increases gradually with a gradual increase in temperature. The overall change in cone penetration with temperatures for SSEA-1 and SSEA-2 is relatively uniform, and the penetration depth value of SSEA-3, SSEA-4, and SSEA-5 increases slower at 20-40 \({}^{\circ}\)C and faster at 40-60 \({}^{\circ}\)C. This is because the temperature sensitivity of SSEA increases with an increase in asphalt content [44]. Comparing BJ200 with SSEA, it is found that the cone penetration in BJ200 is between SSEA-2 and SSEA-3, indicating that SSEA-1 and SSEA-2 are harder than BJ200 and SSEA-3-SSEA-5 are softer than BJ200.  
From Figure 9, it can be seen that at the same temperature, the shear strength decreases gradually with an increase in the proportion of asphalt in SSEA, which is due to a rise in the proportion of asphalt; the SSEA is more prone to plastic deformation, which corresponds to the increase in the taper in Figure 4. For the same kind of asphalt binder, with the rise in temperature, the shear resistance tends to decrease, and the decrease in shear strength is substantial, which is higher than the decrease in taper. This indicates that the shear strength can reflect the softness and hardness of asphalt more obviously than the taper degree. Comparing BJ200 with SSEA, it is found that the shear resistance of BJ200 is between SSEA-2 and SSEA-3.  
The results indicate that as the SBR/SBS-modified epoxy asphalt content increases, the penetration depth gradually rises, while the shear strength decreases. This phenomenon is observed in the SBR/SBS-modified epoxy asphalt content. The shear resistance of BJ200 is also shown in Figure 8. The shear resistance of BJ200 is shown in Figure 9. The shear resistance of BJ200 is shown in Figure 9.  
occurs because a higher asphalt content weakens the strength of the epoxy resin's three-dimensional network structure, making the material more prone to plastic deformation at elevated temperatures. Conversely, lower asphalt content compositions (e.g., SSEA-1 and SSEA-2) exhibit higher shear strength because the epoxy resin dominates, forming a stronger crosslinked structure that enhances the material's resistance to shear. This trend aligns with the findings of [PERSON] et al. [42], who observed that higher proportions of epoxy resin contribute to enhanced resistance to high-temperature deformation but reduce the flexibility of the material at low temperatures.