PAVEMENT DENSITY-WHAT INFLUENCES IT

A RESEARCH PROJECT IS REPORTED WHICH WAS CONDUCTED TO STUDY THE PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF NEWLY CONSTRUCTED ASPHALT CONCRETE PAVEMENTS. A PORTION OF THE STUDY WAS UNDERTAKEN TO ESTABLISH INHERENT VARIABILITY AND TO DETERMINE THE INFLUENCE OF SUCH VARIABLES AS MIX COMPOSITION, PAVEMENT THICKNESS, MIX TEMPERATURE, AND NUMBER OF ROLLER PASSES ON PAVEMENT DENSITY. FORTY-SEVEN TEST SECTIONS, ONE LANE WIDE AND THE LENGTH OF LAYDOWN OF A TRUCK LOAD WERE STUDIED FROM 12 CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS THROUGHOUT THE STATE. TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENTS WERE MADE OF THE MIXTURE DURING COMPACTION, AND ALL ROLLER PASSES WERE RECORDED. BULK DENSITY, ASPHALT EXTRACTION, AGGREGATE GRADATION AND SPECIFIC GRAVITY TESTS WERE CONDUCTED ON PAVEMENT CORES AND MARSHALL SPECIMENS AS WERE PLASTIC FLOW DETERMINATIONS MADE ON THE MARSHALL SPECIMENS. IT WAS CONCLUDED FROM AN ANALYSIS OF THE DATA AS TO PAVEMENT DENSITY VARIABILITY THAT: (1) DENSITY DOES NOT VARY SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION, (2) INITIAL PAVEMENT DENSITY VARIES SIGNIFICANTLY ACROSS THE LANE, BEING GREATEST IN THE CENTER AND LEAST NEAR THE EDGE, (3) TRAFFIC INCREASES PAVEMENT DENSITY AND DECREASES VARIATION, (4) INITIALLY, 29 PERCENT OF THE PAVEMENT AREAS HAD A DENSITY LESS THAN 95 PERCENT MARSHALL, WHICH AFTER ONE YEAR OF TRAFFIC WAS REDUCED TO 8 PERCENT AND AFTER 2 YEARS TO 4 PERCENT, AND (5) AFTER TWO YEARS' SERVICE, THE PAVEMENTS ARE SMOOTH-RIDING WITH NO OBSERVABLE SURFACE DEFECTS. A SERIES OF REGRESSION ANALYSES PERFORMED BY ELECTRONIC COMPUTER SHOWED THE FOLLOWING FACTORS WHICH AFFECTED VOIDS IN THE FOLLOWING ORDER: (1) ASPHALT CEMENT CONTENT, (2) PAVEMENT REBOUND DEFLECTION, (3) AGGREGATE GRADATION, (4) ASPHALT CEMENT VISCOSITY, (5) INTERMEDIATE ROLLER PASSES, (6) BREAKDOWN ROLLER PASSES, AND (7) FINAL ROLLER PASSES. THE NEW YORK STATE SPECIFICATION CONTROL ON TEMPERATURE AND ROLLING OF HOT-MIX ASPHALT CONCRETE WAS DETERMINED TO BE ADEQUATE TO PRODUCE PAVEMENTS OF PROPER DENSITY FOR GOOD PERFORMANCE.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Vol 34, pp 286-308, 7 FIG, 4 TAB, 5 REF
• Authors:
  • Graham, M D
  • Burnett, W C
  • Thomas, J J
  • Dixon, W C
• Conference:
  • Assoc Asphalt Paving Technol Proc
• Publication Date: 1965-2

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aggregate gradation; Asphalt cement; Asphalt concrete; Asphalt pavements; Bulk density; Cement content; Compaction; Computers; Core samples; Deflection; Density; Experimental roads; Hot mix asphalt; Marshall test; Measurement; Mix design; Mixing; Pavements; Regression analysis; Smoothness; Specific gravity; Temperature; Temperature measurement; Thickness; Traffic; Viscosity; Void ratios
• Uncontrolled Terms: Pavement thickness
• Old TRIS Terms: Core analysis; Marshall stability marshall stability & flow test flow; Mixing temperature; Pavement deflection; Pavement smoothness; Roller coverage; Rolling pattern; Specific gravity tests; Void
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Materials; Operations and Traffic Management; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00210815
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 24 1994 12:00AM