Optimizing Asphalt Mixture Performance Testing for Balanced Mix Design

Many state highway agencies (SHAs) are currently exploring balanced mix design (BMD) systems for modern, sustainable asphalt mixtures to ensure durable and resilient infrastructure. Required mixture performance evaluation in these systems can utilize monotonic loading tests which are more practical and better suited for acceptance during production and construction or repeated loading tests that better represent field conditions. While additional effort is required beyond determination of volumetrics as currently practiced, a BMD system allows for the realization of economic and environmental benefits through the increased use of recycled asphalt materials (RAM) and application of strategies to mitigate the impact of these stiff, brittle, aged materials on cracking performance without sacrificing rutting performance. As BMD implementation continues, guidance is needed to provide a framework of selected tests for mix design and acceptance, criteria/thresholds tied to field performance, and best practices to produce robust asphalt mixtures. This project will meet this need by providing recommendations for a BMD system to extend the life of transportation infrastructure based on application of tests that evaluate cracking and rutting performance, further field verification of criteria/thresholds for these tests, and comparison of high RAM mitigation strategies.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $634918
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3552344813

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  National Center for Infrastructure Transformation

  Prairie View A&M University
  Prairie View, TX  United States  77446
• Performing Organizations:

  Texas A&M University, College Station

  Zachry Department of Civil Engineering
  3136 TAMU
  College Station, TX  United States  77843-3136

  Rutgers University, New Brunswick

  New Brunswick, NJ  United States  08901
• Principal Investigators:

  Martin, Amy

  Bennert, Thomas

• Start Date: 20230901
• Expected Completion Date: 20250831
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program
• Source Data: 01-14-TAMU

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Asphalt mixtures; Best practices; Mix design; Performance tests; Recycled materials
• Subject Areas: Highways; Materials; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01893181
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: National Center for Infrastructure Transformation
• Contract Numbers: 69A3552344813
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Sep 13 2023 1:44PM