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https://www.nationalacademies.org/trb/blog

Performance Mixture Design for Asphalt Mixtures: Phase I, Roadmap and Specification Development

Improving asphalt mixture durability is a Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) priority. The performance mixture design (PMD) concept proposes to address this by incorporating performance criteria into mixture design and acceptance. Instead of recipe-type specifications, the method applies performance test criteria to assess and accept mixtures. The concept provides a means to obtain more durable mixtures, while allowing innovations not possible under current specifications. This project will develop, assess, and validate a PMD framework for application in Virginia. This will require: (1) development of a roadmap to address adoption of the PMD concept, (2) continued benchmarking of current mixtures, (3) determining appropriate specification requirements from benchmark values, and (4) shadowing projects beginning at the design phase to determine the practical impacts of the proposed framework. Results of this study are expected to establish a roadmap for PMD and direct the next phase toward implementation.