THE SHRP AND SUPERPAVE BINDER TESTS AND SPECIFICATION

From October 1987 to March 1993, the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP) in the USA conducted a $150M research programme on all aspects of highway engineering. $50M of this money was spent on research into asphalt, with the largest proportion being devoted to developing new methods to test and specify asphalt binders. This research resulted in a new US binder specification called SUPERPAVE. This specification uses performance-based criteria and includes climatic considerations. It recognises three forms of distress: (1) low-temperature cracking, not related to load; (2) permanent deformation, related to load; and (3) fatigue cracking, related to load. This paper details the new SUPERPAVE tests and their main purposes; the tests measure physical properties claimed to relate to field performance by engineering principles. The Dynamic Shear rheometer (DSR) is an ideal test for binders, as it characterises both viscous and elastic bitumen behaviour. The Rotational Viscometer (RV) measures bitumen viscosity at normal application temperatures. The Bending Beam Rheometer (BBR) measures how much a beam of bitumen will deflect under a constant load. The other tests are the Direct Tension test and two bitumen aging tests. The SUPERPAVE Binder Specification controls permanent deformation and fatigue cracking.

• Corporate Authors:

  Shell Bitumen U.K.

  Riversdell House, Guildford Street
  Chertsey, Surrey,   England 
• Authors:
  • READ, J M
• Publication Date: 1999

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: 6 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Binders; Bitumen; Cracking; Deformation; Durability; Elasticity (Mechanics); Fatigue (Mechanics); Improvements; Instruments for measuring fluid properties or phenomena; Loads; Loss and damage; Research projects; Rheological properties; Rheometers; Standards; Test procedures; Viscosity; Weather
• Geographic Terms: United States
• ITRD Terms: 4948: Binder; 4963: Bitumen; 5211: Cracking; 1614: Damage; 5595: Deformation; 5910: Durability; 5912: Elasticity; 5579: Fatigue (mater); 9108: Improvement; 5567: Load; 8557: Research project; 6138: Rheometer; 187: Specification (standard); 6288: Test method; 8122: USA; 5936: Viscosity; 2545: Weather
• Subject Areas: Research;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00799602
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• Files: ITRD
• Created Date: Oct 6 2000 12:00AM