Effects of Binder Content, Density, Gradation, and Polymer Modification on Cracking and Rutting Resistance of Asphalt Mixtures Used in Oregon
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 30, Issue 11
Abstract
Fatigue cracking performance of asphalt mixtures is highly influenced by the binder and air-void contents, binder grade, binder modification, volumetrics, recycled asphalt pavement/reclaimed asphalt shingles (RAP/RAS) content, and aging. In Oregon, asphalt pavements commonly fail prematurely due to cracking-related distresses, necessitating costly rehabilitation and maintenance at intervals of less than half of the intended design lives in some cases. This study focuses on characterizing the cracking performance of asphalt mixtures used in Oregon by evaluating the impact of asphalt mixture variables, such as binder content, air-void content, aggregate gradation, and polymer modification, on cracking and rutting performance using semicircular bend (SCB) and flow number (FN) tests, respectively. The goal of this study is to provide a better decision-making structure during the pavement design stage to address fatigue cracking susceptibility, with the intent of avoiding premature pavement failure and expensive early maintenance and rehabilitation. Increased binder content improved the cracking performance, suggesting that increasing binder content of asphalt mixtures currently used in Oregon can create significant savings by improving pavement longevity. Additionally, reducing the density increases cracking performance; therefore, producing asphalt mixtures that are easy to compact and utilizing intelligent compaction technologies that are currently being implemented in Oregon can potentially create a significant improvement in the fatigue cracking resistance of asphalt mixtures.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) for providing funding for this research. The authors thank the members of the ODOT Project Technical Advisory Committee and ODOT research for their advice and assistance. The authors would also like to thank Mike Stennett of ODOT who organized material sampling. The authors would also like to thank Sogol Sadat Haddadi, Tim Flowerday, Nicholas Kolstad, John Paul Morton, Andrew Johnson, Mostafa Estaji, Ihsan Obaid, Natasha Anisimova, Matthew Haynes, and Jawad Qassem for their help with sieving, batching, and measuring theoretical maximum specific gravity of prepared samples, as well as James Batti for his help in the laboratory. Also, a special thanks to Owens Corning for providing asphalt binders, and to Lakeside Industries for providing aggregates, production mix, and RAP materials used in this study.
Disclaimer
The contents of this report reflect the view of the authors who are solely responsible for the facts and accuracy of the material presented. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Oregon Department of Transportation or the United States Department of Transportation.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 30 • Issue 11 • November 2018
Copyright
©2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 9, 2017
Accepted: May 21, 2018
Published online: Aug 30, 2018
Published in print: Nov 1, 2018
Discussion open until: Jan 30, 2019
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