Date of Graduation

12-2020

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering (PhD)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Civil Engineering

Advisor/Mentor

Hall, Kevin D.

Committee Member

Williams, Stacy G.

Second Committee Member

Barry, Michelle L.

Third Committee Member

Liao, Haitao

Keywords

Asphalt Mix; Asphalt Pavement; Balanced Mix Design; Cracking; Performance Engineered Mixture Design; Performance Tests

Abstract

Many agencies have incorporated rutting, and more recently cracking, laboratory test requirements in the design process of asphalt mixtures. The objective of each additional specification is to produce a balance between the stability and durability of the final product. Although a performance-engineered mixture design (PEMD), denoted here as a balanced mix design (BMD), offers compelling benefits, there is concern regarding the compatibility of the BMD with current construction practices. The objective of this work is to correlate a BMD method with realistic binder content construction tolerances by applying the concepts of a percent-within-limits (PWL) approach to field QC/QA. First, Chapter 1 provides general concepts for the definition of mix design on both a volumetric and a performance basis. Chapter 2 explains the process of mix and field performance data selection for the entire study. Chapter 3 evaluates a series of aging protocols for their usage in the cracking evaluation part of the project. Chapter 4 evaluates the use of the indirect tensile asphalt cracking test (IDEAL-CT) as a simplified alternative for cracking evaluation, as well provides recommendations for the Arkansas local specification. And lastly, Chapter 5 proposes new approaches for setting PWL lower and upper specification limits (LSL and USL, respectively) for in-place binder content, as well as a criterion for defining the constructability of a BMD using the Illinois flexibility index test (I-FIT) and the asphalt pavement analyzer (APA) as laboratory performance tests.

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