Fracture Properties and Fatigue Cracking Resistance of Asphalt Binders

Several different types of modifiers are increasingly being used to improve the performance of asphalt binders or to achieve desired mixture production characteristics (e.g., Warm Mix Asphalt). However, current Superpave performance specifications do not accurately reflect the performance characteristics of these modified binders. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the inherent fatigue cracking resistance of asphalt binders in the form of a matrix with rigid particle inclusions. The underlying rationale for this approach was to subject the binders to a state of stress that is similar to the one in a full asphalt mixture. This was achieved by fabricating and testing composite specimens of the asphalt binders and glass beads with a specified gradation. Four asphalt binders with similar true temperature grades but different modifiers were used in this study. The viscoelastic and fatigue cracking characteristics of the binders were measured using the glass bead-binder composite specimens in a dynamic shear rheometer at an intermediate temperature. The results demonstrate that the four asphalt binders modified using different methods had different damage characteristics despite the fact that these four binders were rated to have a similar performance grade based on the Superpave specifications. Fatigue cracking characteristics of the glass bead-binder test specimens used in this study were qualitatively very similar to the fatigue cracking characteristics of full asphalt mixtures using the same binders. The rank order of fatigue cracking resistance for the four glass bead-binder mixtures compared reasonably well to the rank order of fatigue cracking resistance for the full asphalt mixtures that incorporated these asphalt binders.

• Record URL:
  • http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/161122-1.pdf
• 
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This research was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program.
• Corporate Authors:

  University of Texas, Austin

  Center for Transportation Research, 1616 Guadalupe Street
  Austin, TX  United States  78701-1255

  Southwest Region University Transportation Center

  Texas A&M University
  3135 TAMU
  College Station, TX  United States  77843-3135

  Research and Innovative Technology Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Motamed, Arash
  • Bhasin, Amit
  • Izadi, Anoosha
• Publication Date: 2012-3

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Edition: Research Report
• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 62p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bituminous binders; Fatigue cracking; Fracture properties; Glass beads; Laboratory tests; Viscoelasticity
• Uncontrolled Terms: Asphalt modifiers
• Subject Areas: Highways; Materials; I31: Bituminous Binders and Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01376188
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: SWUTC/12/161122-1, Report 161122-1
• Contract Numbers: 10727
• Files: UTC, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Jul 24 2012 8:20AM