Effects of Field Aging on Material Properties and Rutting Performance of Asphalt Pavement

Authors

Haoyang Wang, RoadMaint Co., Ltd., Beijing 100095, China.
Yu Zhu, Department of Ecology and Evolution, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118, USA.
Vijaikrishnah Elango, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.
John H. Pardue, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.
Michael Blum, Department of Ecology and Evolution, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118, USA; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA.
Sunshine A. Van Bael, Department of Ecology and Evolution, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118, USA.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-26-2022

Abstract

This study evaluates field asphalt aging based on material property changes in pavement with time, and investigates if such changes could have an impact on field rutting performance. Four projects from three different climate zones were monitored as part of the NCHRP 9-49A project at two stages: during pavement construction and two to three years after opening it to traffic. Construction information were collected, and field cores were drilled at both stages to evaluate the material properties of recovered asphalt binder and asphalt mixture. Field rut depth was also measured. In addition, pavement structure, climate and base/subgrade modulus information were also obtained. Results indicate that the asphalt mixture stiffening is caused in major part by asphalt aging. However, the effect of asphalt aging on pavement mixture property may not follow a proportional liner trend. The parameters that are most sensitive to field ageing are MSCR and dynamic modulus. It is also found that the variables which showed a good ranking trend with the field rut depth are climate condition (relative humidity, high temperature hour, solar radiation), material properties (Hamburg rut depth, rutting resistance index, high temperature performance grade, MSCR, and dynamic modulus, base and subgrade moduli), as well as air voids.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

Materials (Basel, Switzerland)

Recommended Citation

Wang, H., Zhu, Y., Elango, V., Pardue, J. H., Blum, M., & Van Bael, S. A. (2022). Effects of Field Aging on Material Properties and Rutting Performance of Asphalt Pavement. Materials (Basel, Switzerland), 16 (1) https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16010225