Evaluation of Properties of Nonfoaming Warm Mix Asphalt Mixtures at Lower Working Temperatures

What is it about?

Warm mix asphalt (WMA) is a green technology which has the potential to replace hot mix asphalt (HMA) because it reduces greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption by lowering the temperature at which asphalt mixtures are produced and placed. During the design process, evaluation of the mix design and mechanical properties of WMA mixtures is necessary. Therefore, the ability to quantify compactability would be very useful. This paper presents details on the evaluation of asphalt mix design, workability, and mechanical properties of asphalt mixtures modified with nonfoaming WMA additives at lower working (mixing and compaction) temperatures. Further, it seeks to provide a wider gap between mixing and compaction temperatures to ensure that WMA mixtures are suitable for longer haul distances. Asphalt mix design properties were evaluated by the Superpave method for various design gyrations (Ndes), and workability properties were evaluated in terms of Superpave gyratory compactor (SGC) densification indices using the Bahia and locking point methods. Mechanical properties such as resistance to moisture-induced damage were evaluated by the tensile strength ratio (TSR) approach, rutting resistance was evaluated by a laboratory wheel tracking test using a wheel rut tester (WRT), and flexural fatigue characteristics were evaluated by four-point bending using a repeated load testing (RLT) machine. The effects of nominal maximum aggregate size (NMAS), working temperature, and type of mixture on the properties of WMA mixtures were investigated. The experimental results were statistically analyzed to identify the major influencing factors and their significance.

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