Factors Affecting Asphalt Pavement Density and the Effect on Long Term Pavement Performance

The Kentucky Transportation Center, the Asphalt Institute, and the Kentucky Transportation Center worked together in order to identify factors that affect asphalt pavement density, and to then evaluate their effect on long term pavement performance. By determining which variables are most influential to pavement performance (i.e. roller pattern, temperature when rolled, etc.), and then monitoring the attention given to those variables, Kentucky would be able to increase the service life of asphalt roadways by at least 25%, therefore saving as much as $30 million annually on a resurfacing budget of $129.2 million (2007), while still maintaining the current roadway level of service. Ensuring that the pavement roller is able to roll the surface at the appropriate temperature can result in increases in density of up to 4%. An asphalt mix having 11% voids failed at approximately 400,000 cycles @ 350 microstrains, compared to that same mix at 7% air voids failing at 600,000 cycles @ 350 microstrains, resulting in a lab fatigue life increase of 50%. Two primary results were found from this study. First, by ensuring the compaction roller reaches the pavement before the temperature is allowed to drop substantially, up to a 4% increase in density can be achieved. Second, by increasing density 4%, lab fatigue life can be increased by as much as 50%. From these results, by practicing proper construction techniques one could conservatively expect to see increases in the service life of an asphalt surface of up to 25% in the field.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.13023/KTC.RR.2010.05
• 
• Corporate Authors:

  University of Kentucky, Lexington

  Kentucky Transportation Center
  College of Engineering, 176 Raymond Building
  Lexington, KY  United States  40506-0281

  Kentucky Transportation Cabinet

  200 Mero Street
  Frankfort, KY  United States  40622

  Asphalt Institute

  2696 Research Park Drive
  Lexington, KY  United States  40511-8480

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Fisher, Jonathan
  • Graves, Clark
  • Blankenship, Phillip B
  • Hakimzadeh-Khoee, Salman
  • Anderson, R Michael
• Publication Date: 2010-5

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 158p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Asphalt pavements; Binder content; Density; Durability; Fatigue (Mechanics); Pavement cracking; Pavement performance; Performance tests; Permeability; Permeameters; Road rollers; Rolled asphalt
• Geographic Terms: Kentucky
• Subject Areas: Highways; Pavements; I22: Design of Pavements, Railways and Guideways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01359682
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: KTC-10-05/RSF14-05-1F
• Contract Numbers: RSF14-05-1F
• Files: TRIS, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Dec 29 2011 7:47AM