This article demonstrates the need to laboratory condition asphalt mixtures to simulate combined environmental effects and then to test unconditioned and conditioned specimens in a manner that damage from these environmental effects can be accumulated. The current state-of-the-art for evaluating asphalt mixtures for use on projects relies on either single-mechanism laboratory conditioning such as oxidation in AASHTO R30, or test methods that cannot accumulate combined effects such as indirect tensile strength in AASHTO T283. This article evaluated hundreds of laboratory-conditioned and field-aged specimens in a hot and no-freeze climate to demonstrate a laboratory conditioning protocol that was able to simulate at least 4 years of field aging, whereas conventional single-mechanism protocols were not. Temperature and moisture conditions within asphalt mixtures were measured over time and used as part of the assessment. The conditioning protocol that showed the most promise consisted of combined exposure to oxidation, moisture, and freeze–thaw mechanisms. The specific combined-effects conditioning protocol used here was 5 days of oxidation at 85°C, 14 days of moisture while submerged in 64°C water, and one freeze–thaw cycle. Other combined-effects protocols could be more suitable for other environments or situations; the main point of this article is that inclusion of oxidation, moisture, and freeze–thaw conditioning into one protocol is promising. The environmental conditions and mechanical property test data presented here suggest the asphalt industry needs to be harsher on mixes during laboratory evaluations, and that combined environmental effects conditioning should be given implementation consideration.
In recent years, the asphalt paving industry has been strained by numerous factors including increased asphalt binder costs, funding that has not kept up with material costs, increased societal pressure to recycle, and deteriorating pavement networks. Mix design should account for the market in which it is used, which is very different now than when today’s volumetric mix design practices were developed (many of the aforementioned factors were less present). Given this reality, a statewide database of all 1,452 approved mix designs in Mississippi from 2005 to 2018 was compiled and analyzed, and the objective of this paper is to present findings, trends, and unintended consequences of exclusive reliance on volumetrics. With volumetrics-only mix design, asphalt content is primarily controlled by voids in mineral aggregate (VMA), which is influenced by aggregate bulk specific gravity (Gsb). Minor Gsb deviations (i.e., within AASHTO d2 s limits), can significantly affect VMA, so much so that 99% of Mississippi’s mixes could be failing VMA while reported VMA passes. This allows mix manipulation and economization, with 0.8% asphalt content reductions possible while still meeting volumetric requirements. Recycled materials can exacerbate this issue, and common approaches to increase asphalt content (decreasing design gyration level or using finer gradations) are ineffective with fixed VMA requirements. Overall, the mix design database analysis agrees with numerous smaller studies but does so with an entire state’s actual practice. This presents a compelling case that volumetrics-only mix design has limitations, and supports ongoing efforts to reintegrate mechanical tests.
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