Experimental Mechanics (2010) 50:867–876
DOI 10.1007/s11340-009-9303-0
Using Semi Circular Bending Test to Evaluate Low
Temperature Fracture Resistance for Asphalt Concrete
X.-J. Li & M.O. Marasteanu
Received: 25 September 2007 / Accepted: 18 September 2009 / Published online: 14 October 2009
# Society for Experimental Mechanics 2009
Abstract This work presents a repeatable semi circular
bending (SCB) fracture test to evaluate the low temperature
fracture resistance of asphalt mixture. The fracture resis-
tance of six asphalt mixtures, which represent a combina-
tion of factors such as binder type, binder modifier,
aggregate type, and air voids, and two testing conditions
of loading rate and initial notch length, was evaluated by
performing SCB fracture tests at three low temperatures.
Fracture energy was calculated from the experimental data.
Experimental results indicated strong dependence of the
low temperature fracture resistance on the test temperature.
Experimental plots and low coefficient of variation (COV)
values from three replicates show a satisfactory repeatabil-
ity from the test. The results of the analysis showed that
fracture resistance of asphalt mixtures is significantly
affected by type of aggregate and air void content.
Experimental results also confirmed the significance of
binder grade and modifier type with relation to cracking
resistance of asphalt mixtures. Analysis of result also
indicated that both the loading rate and initial notch length
had significant effect on the fracture energy at the highest
test temperature, whereas the effect was strongly diluted at
X.-J. Li (*)
ESC, INC; Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center,
Federal Highway Administration,
6300 Georgetown Pike,
McLean, VA 22101, USA
e-mail: xinjun.li@fhwa.dot.gov
M.O. Marasteanu
Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minnesota,
500 Pillsbury Drive SE,
Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
e-mail: maras002@umn.edu
the two lower temperatures. No clear trend was found with
the fracture peak load from either the effect of loading rate
or notch length.
Keywords Asphalt concrete . Low temperature .
Semi-circular bend . Fracture energy . Fracture resistance
Introduction
Low temperature cracking is a predominant distress in
asphalt pavements built in the northern US and Canada due
to the thermal stress that builds up in the extreme climate.
These thermal cracks will result in the formation of the
transverse cracks along the pavement and ultimately
accelerate the deterioration of the structure. Therefore, the
evaluation and identification of the factors significantly
affecting fracture resistance is of interest to owner/agencies
seeking better performing pavements in these northern
climates.
Numerous research efforts based on empirical or
theoretical methods were made in the past decades to better
understand this distress and to select materials with
improved fracture resistance. As an accelerated perfor-
mance test developed during the Strategic Highway
Research Program (SHRP), the thermal stress restrained
specimen test (TSRST) was widely applied to simulate low-
temperature cracking of asphalt concrete [1–4]. Beam or
cylindrical specimens with a length of 250 mm are required
in this test, whereby thermally-induced stress within the
specimen develops until fracture. These specimens can be
cored or sawed from slabs, whereas there is difficulty in
preparing specimen from the gyratory compacted or field
cored cylinders. By maintaining the test specimen at
868
constant length during cooling, the TSRST test loads the
specimen with thermally-induced stress through fracture
failure, but it does not account for the effects of traffic
loading and the evolution of cracks over time. The Indirect
Tension Test (IDT), which was also developed during the
SHRP, is currently used to evaluate the low temperature
properties of asphalt mixtures [5]. However, this approach
does not directly address the crack propagation and the
post-peak behavior of the tested materials as a result of a
non-representative fracture test. These effects are best taken
into consideration utilizing fracture mechanics.
As a powerful tool, fracture mechanics has been
successfully used to study crack initiation and propagation
in all types of materials. This approach has been applied to
explore the mechanism of fracture in asphalt mixtures as
early as in 1960s [6] and has become increasingly popular
in the research community after 1990s [7–15]. There are
many methods of fracture testing in hot mix asphalt
(HMA), including the Single-Edge Notched Beam [12,
14, 16, 17], the Semi-Circular Bend (SCB) [13, 18, 19], the
IDT fracture parameter [20, 21], and the Disc-Shaped
Compact Tension Test (DCT) [15, 22, 23]. All of these
mixture fracture tests have advantages and disadvantages
[15]. Due to the restriction by the limited thickness of the
actual asphalt pavement layer, the specimen geometry is
one of the critical considerations in selecting of the fracture
test. Because of the ease in sample preparation from the
gyratory compacted cylinders or field cored samples, the
Semi-Circular Bending (SCB) test configuration has been
adopted by many researchers in the asphalt pavement
community [13, 18, 19, 24–26]. However, very limited
material factors and testing conditions were included in
these studies.
A method for investigating the fracture resistance of
asphalt materials is presented in this paper. The fracture
resistance properties of six asphalt mixtures, which is a
combination of different factors such as aggregate type, air
void, binder type and modification, are measured using the
SCB configuration. The fracture test is also performed
using three different loading rates and three different notch
lengths to evaluate the influence of the loading rate and
notch length on the fracture properties.
Fracture Mechanics Analysis for SCB Geometry
For a linear elastic material, the entire stress distribution at
a crack tip can be completely characterized as a function of
a stress intensity factor (SIF), K. SIF is related to applied
load and geometry of a specimen. For a specimen under
loading, specimen geometry is constant and SIF changes
with changing load prior to crack propagation. However,
SIF will reach a critical value when failure occurs at a crack
Exp Mech (2010) 50:867–876
tip. This critical value of SIF, KC, also referred to as
fracture toughness, defines the state of local stresses around
a crack. KC provides a single parameter characterization
that includes the effects of specimen configuration, bound-
ary conditions and load. KC is qualified as an intrinsic
material property, describing its ability to resist cracking.
However, it should be noted that recent work performed by
the authors [19] indicates that the fracture process zone in
the SCB specimens is 3–6 mm wide and 20–30 mm in
length, which indicates that the assumptions of linear elastic
fracture mechanics are not valid for the size of specimen
used in this study. Also, it should be noted that LEFM
conditions likely do not exist for the material under
investigation.
In this study, fracture energy was calculated according to
the RILEM (Réunion Internationale des Laboratoires et
Experts des Matériaux) TC 50-FMC specification [27] that
has been extensively used in the study of concrete. Fracture
work is the area under the load-deflection (P-u) curve and
fracture energy (Gf) can be obtained by dividing fracture
work with ligament area. Ligament area is the product of
ligament length and thickness of a specimen:
W0 þ mgd 0
Gf ¼ ð1Þ
Alig
where:
W0 fracture work, the area below the measured load-
deformation curve
m weight of the specimen
g acceleration due to gravity, 9.81 m/s2
δ0 deformation at the final failure of the specimen, and
Alig area of a ligament.
It should be noted that this method is based on the
assumption that the whole work of fracture is absorbed by
the cracked faces and nowhere else dissipates energy due to
plastic compressive stains. When calculating the area under
a P-u curve, the seating load can be neglected since it is
very small. The tail part of the P-u curve can be reasonably
obtained by fitting data in the post peak region and this
procedure is detailed elsewhere [13]. The SCB specimen
self-weight, which is around 10 N, was included in the
fracture energy calculation as a dead load, though it was
found to have a very slight effect on the result.
Materials and Sample Preparation
This study was designed to contain a combination of factors
expected to have a significant effect on the fracture
resistance of asphalt mixtures, and the test matrix is shown
in Table 1.
Exp Mech (2010) 50:867–876 869

Table 1 Mixture identification

and factor combinations Mixture ID Binder & modifier Air voids Aggregate Test temperature

4% 7% Granite Limestone °C

58:P:4:G PG58-28 Plain 1 X X −6

58:P:7:G X X
64:P:4:G PG64-28 Plain 1 X X −18
64:P:4:L X X
64:S:4:G PG64-28 SBS X X −30
64:S:4:L X X

In a recent study [13] mixtures prepared with three two SCB slices with 25 mm each in height. The SCB slice
asphalt binders that are different in low limit of the cut from cylinders was symmetrically cut into two
performance grade (PG) and same in high limit of PG semicircular bend samples with an original notch with
grade were investigated and the results showed the 15 mm in length and 2 mm in width. The schematic of SCB
significant effect of the low limit of binder performance sample preparation is shown in Fig. 1. In order to
grade on the fracture resistance of the mixtures. In this investigate the influence of the notch length on the fracture
study, three asphalt binders with two PG grades 58–28 and properties, specimens with two additional notch lengths of
64–28 were used to investigate the influence of the PG 5 mm and 30 mm were prepared for mixture 64:S:4:L.
grade on the low temperature resistance. PG 58–28 binder Three replicates were tested at each temperature for all
was plain, while PG 64–28 binder was plain or Styrene mixtures. The test temperatures were determined based on
Butadiene Styrene (SBS) modified. Two different types of the PG low limit of the asphalt binder as follows:
aggregate, granite and limestone, known to have different
Temperature level 1 (TL): 12° below TM;
mechanical and physical properties, were used to prepare
Temperature level 2 (TM): binder PG + 10°C;
the mixtures. Granite has a typical coefficient of thermal
Temperature level 3 (TH): 12° above TM.
expansion of 7.0×10−6 to 9.0×10−6/°C, while limestone’s
is 6.0×10−6/°C. The nominal maximum aggregate size is In this study, the temperatures are as follows: TL =−30°C,
12.5 mm. Two levels of air voids, the design value of 4%, TM =−18°C, TH =−6°C. This approach normalized the results
and 7% representing typical as-constructed values, were with respect to the PG of the binder.
chosen to study the effect of air voids on fracture resistance
for further improvement in construction practice and
performance prediction modeling. All mixtures were Experimental Setup and Testing Procedure
gyratory compacted using the Superpave design procedure
outlined in SP-2 [28]. The schematic of SCB test is shown in Fig. 2. A MTS
Table 1 identifies all six mixtures. The first part of the servo-hydraulic testing system was used to perform the
identification is the high limit of the binder PG grade, while tests in an environmental chamber. The samples were
the second part represents the modification: P and S are symmetrically supported by two fixed rollers and had a
plain and SBS, respectively. The third part is the air voids:
4% and 7%. The last part of the mixture identification is the
Table 2 Gradations for all mixtures
aggregate type: G and L are granite and limestone,
respectively. Two aggregate gradations were prepared based Sieve size (mm) Percent passing
on the aggregate type and are shown in Table 2. These two
Granite Limestone
gradations were prepared as close as practically possible in
an effort to eliminate additional factors that can affect the 19 100 100
results. Two design asphalt contents were used in the mix 12.5 95.2 97.2
design: 6.0% for granite mixtures and 6.9% for limestone 9.5 83.5 79.1
mixtures and correspond to an effective binder content of 4.75 65.2 59.6
5.39% and 5.37% for the granite and limestone mixtures, 2.36 47.1 48.6
respectively. 1.18 33.4 38.6
For each of the six mixtures, cylindrical specimens with 0.60 23.8 28.8
150 mm in diameter and 177 mm in height were compacted 0.30 12.5 16.9
in the laboratory. The actual air voids for all mixtures are in 0.15 7.0 9.2
the range of 1% ± target air voids. Each of the cylinders
0.075 5.1 5.4
was cut symmetrically from the middle of the specimen into
870
} independent platinum RTD thermometer.
150mm×177mm 2 slices
Cylinder 25 mm in thickness Notch: 15mm×2mm
Fig. 1 Schematic of SCB sample preparation
span of 120 mm. Teflon tape was used to reduce the friction
from the two rollers. The IDT loading plate was used to
load the SCB specimens. The load line displacement (LLD)
was measured using a vertically mounted Epsilon exten-
someter with 38 mm gauge length and ± 1 mm range; one
end was mounted on a button that was permanently fixed
on a specially made frame, and the other end was attached
to a metal button glued to the sample. Crack mouth opening
displacement (CMOD) was recorded by an Epsilon clip
gauge with 10 mm gauges length and a + 2.5 and −1 mm
range. The clip gauge was attached at the bottom of the
specimen. The CMOD signal was used as the control signal
to maintain the test stability in the post-peak region of the
test. A constant CMOD rate of 0.0005 mm/s was used and
the load and LLD (P-u) were recorded. A maximum contact
load of 0.3 kN was applied before the actual loading to
ensure uniform contact between the loading plate and the
specimen. Testing ceased when the load dropped to 0.5 kN
in the post peak region.
All tests were performed inside an environmental
chamber. The desired low temperature was achieved by
using liquid nitrogen. Prior to testing, the SCB samples
were kept in the environmental chamber at the test
SCB Specimen
Button
LLD
Notch
CMOD
Frame
Fig. 2 SCB experiment setup
Exp Mech (2010) 50:867–876
temperature for two hours to avoid any temperature
gradient within the sample. The temperature was controlled
by MTS temperature controller and verified using an
In order to study the influence of loading rate upon the
fracture properties, mixture 64:P:4:L was tested using two
additional loading rate (0.00015 mm/s and 0.005 mm/s). In
4 SCB samples
addition to a notch length of 15 mm, mixture 64:S:4:L was
tested using two additional initial notch length (5 mm and
30 mm) to investigate the influence of the initial notch
length on the fracture properties. All these tests were
performed with the same test procedure as described above.
Experimental Results
A total of 90 SCB specimens from six mixtures were tested.
A typical plot of loading versus LLD for three test
temperatures is shown in Fig. 3. All six mixtures
investigated exhibited a similar change in behavior with
temperature and loading. At higher low temperatures,
asphalt mixtures are more ductile and have lower peak
loads and larger displacements. At the lowest temperature,
mixtures are brittle and have high peak loads, and small
deformation ability. At the middle low temperature,
mixtures exhibited an intermediate behavior.
Another typical plot is shown in Fig. 4. The three
replicates, for one mixture at one temperature, have similar
initial compliances, peak loads and softening curves, which
indicates that the repeatability of the test is reasonable.
Fracture energy was calculated for all mixtures and all
temperatures using the methods previously described. The
mean and coefficient of variation (COV) for fracture energy
were calculated and summarized in Table 3, as also lists the
mean and COV for the peak load obtained form the testing.
The data for the loading rate and notch length effect is
shown in Table 4. All COV values for both fracture energy
and peak load were less than 25% and this indicates a
satisfactory repeatability of this type of test.
4.0
TL = -30 ºC
3.5
3.0
2.5
Load (kN)
TM= -18 ºC
TH= 0 ºC
2.0
1.5
Data
Acquisition
1.0
0.5
0.0
0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7
Load line displacement (mm)
Fig. 3 Typical plot of loading with load line displacement
Exp Mech (2010) 50:867–876 871

3.5 Replicate 1
Replicate 2 energy than the mixtures prepared with limestone aggre-
Replicate 3
3.0 gates. As for the peak load, the mixture with granite has
Fracture
2.5 Replicate
Peak Load
Energy higher values than that with limestone at the two lower
(kN) (J/m2) temperatures, whereas no significant difference was found
Load (kN)

2.0 1 3.01 269 at the highest temperature. With the aggregate type as the
2 2.84 326
1.5 3 2.64 314 only variable within the above plots, the comparison
implies that aggregate type affects the fracture resistance
1.0
and granite shows higher fracture resistance. This is similar
0.5 to a study result that shows the aggregate type has
significant effects on the fracture energy of high-
0.0
0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30 performance concrete [29].
Load line displacement (mm)
Differences between the two aggregate types are also
Fig. 4 Typical plot of loading with load line displacement for three found by visual inspection of the fracture surface after
replicates testing. No obvious differences are observed between the
fracture surfaces at −6°C. The cracking occurred either in
Data Analysis and Discussion asphalt mastic, or at the interface between the asphalt
mastic and no aggregate fractured. However, at the two
Analyses were performed to evaluate the effect of the lower temperatures, visual observations indicate that a
different material factors and testing conditions on mixture significant portion of the fracture passed through the
low temperature cracking resistance. The factors considered aggregate particles in the mixture made with limestone
were: aggregate type, air voids, modifier type, and binder while for the mixture made with the granite the crack passes
type. Testing conditions included the loading rate and initial through the interface between the mastic and the aggregate.
notch length. Figure 7 shows the fracture surfaces after testing performed
at −18°C.
Effect of Aggregate on Cracking Resistance
Effect of Air Voids on Cracking Resistance
Two aggregates were evaluated; granite and limestone. The
plots of the fracture energy and peak load as a function of The testing result from the two different air void levels, 4%
temperature for all four mixtures with only aggregate type and 7%, is shown in Fig. 8. It shows that 4% target air void
changing are shown in Figs. 5 and 6. Figure 5 shows results specimens overall resulted in higher fracture peak load and
for mixtures with PG 64–28 plain binder and 4% air voids, fracture energy calculations than the 7% target air void
while Fig. 6 presents data for mixtures with PG 64–28 SBS specimens. This indicates that overall the 4% air void
modified binder and 4% air voids. specimens are more resistant to cracking than the 7% target
As expected, the fracture energy decreases when air void specimens. This agrees with the expectation and
temperature decreases, while fracture peak load increases can be explained by the fact that more strain energy or
when temperature decreases. It can be seen from the above driving force is required to break a more compacted asphalt
two figures that for all temperatures the mixtures prepared mixture. In a previous research investigating the effects of
with granite aggregates have significantly higher fracture asphalt content and air voids content on mix fatigue and

Table 3 Experimental results for all mixtures

Mixture Peak load (kN) Fracture energy (J/m2)

TH TM TL TH TM TL

Mean COV Mean COV Mean COV Mean COV Mean COV Mean COV
% % % % % %

58:P:4:G 1.48 13.3 2.61 5.8 3.23 9.6 910 7.3 555 4.7 384 10.2
58:P:7:G 1.06 8.3 2.24 3.8 2.95 0.9 696 21.9 433 4.4 273 4.3
64:P:4:G 1.62 13.3 2.80 6.1 3.40 7.1 889 8.9 418 10.8 277 5.8
64:P:4:L 1.67 3.2 2.41 5.2 2.69 8.6 721 3.2 289 18.5 208 17.0
64:S:4:G 1.48 6.5 3.20 8.9 3.63 3.0 917 6.7 592 5.3 509 7.8
64:S:4:L 1.38 13.9 2.65 12.5 2.96 3.3 822 10.3 421 13.6 303 10.4
872 Exp Mech (2010) 50:867–876

Table 4 Experimental results for loading rate and notch length

Peak load (kN) Fracture energy (J/m2)

TH TM TL TH TM TL

Mean COV Mean COV Mean COV Mean COV Mean COV Mean COV
% % % % % %

Loading Rate (mm/s)

0.00015 1.40 12.0 2.69 2.4 2.51 5.6 1043 16.0 351 8.1 240 16.7
0.0005 1.67 3.2 2.41 5.2 2.69 8.6 721 3.2 289 18.5 208 17.0
0.005 2.57 5.4 2.76 7.4 2.44 5.8 655 5.2 283 17.7 200 5.9
Notch Length (mm)
5 2.15 0.1 2.72 1.6 2.81 5.0 1488 1.8 660 6.1 308 16.9
15 1.38 13.9 2.65 12.5 2.96 3.3 822 10.3 425 13.6 303 10.4
30 0.64 17.0 1.56 5.2 1.48 7.0 537 3.3 471 12.6 254 20.8

stiffness, Harvey and Tsai [30] pointed out that lower air
void content creates a more homogenous aggregate asphalt
structure with fewer, smaller, and better-distributed voids,
resulting in less stress concentration at large voids.
Effect of Modifier on Fracture Resistance
However, the experimental result shows that the effect of
the modifier on the peak load is not as significant as on the
fracture energy. Specifically, mixtures with modified binder
have higher peak load only at the two lower temperatures.
At the highest temperature, there is a noticeable decrease of
peak load with the use of modified binder.

There is an increasing trend to adopt modified asphalt
binder to improve the properties of the asphalt mixtures. It
is of interests to investigate the effect of modifier on the
fracture resistance of asphalt mixture at low temperatures.
Only one modifier, SBS, was used in this study. The testing
results for the mixtures with modified binder are compared
with mixtures with plain binder and the comparison is
shown in Fig. 9(a) and (b).
It is found that the mixtures with modified binder have
obviously higher fracture energy than the mixtures with
plain binder, when the other variables are the same. This
trend is more significant at the two lower temperatures and
mixtures with modified binder present more than 30%
increase of fracture energy than those with plain binders.
Effect of Binder on Fracture Resistance
It was reported from a previous study [13] that the low limit
of the binder PG grade have significant effect on the
fracture resistance of asphalt mixture at low temperature. It
is of interest to investigate if the high limit of the PG grade
makes a difference for the fracture resistance when the low
limit is the same. The comparison from the experimental
result is shown in Fig. 10. It should be noted that the binder
used in this comparison was plain.
The experimental results show that mixture with high
PG grade 58 binder has higher fracture energy than mixture
with high PG grade 64 binder, when all other factors kept
constant. However, the PG 64 binder prepared mixture was

1000 4.0 1000 4.0

3.5 3.5
800 800
3.0
Fracture Energy,J/m2

Fracture Energy,J/m2

3.0
Peak Load, kN

Peak Load, kN

2.5 2.5
600 600
2.0 2.0
400 400
1.5 1.5

1.0 1.0
200 200
Fracture Energy
Fracture Energy 64:P:4:G 0.5 64:S:4:G 0.5
Peak Load
Peak Load 64:P:4:L 64:S:4:L
0 0.0 0 0.0
-36 -30 -24 -18 -12 -6 0 -36 -30 -24 -18 -12 -6 0
Temperature, ˚C Temperature, ˚C

Fig. 5 Aggregate comparison for 64:P:4 Fig. 6 Aggregate comparison for 64:S:4
Exp Mech (2010) 50:867–876 873

Fig. 7 Typical fracture surfaces

for mixtures with different ag-
gregate. (a) Limestone,
(b) Granite

(a) Limestone (b) Granite

found to have higher peak load than the mixture made by
PG 58 binder. This is consistent with the expectation, as the
PG 58–28 binder is known “softer” than the PG64–28
binder. Considering that the fracture resistance is not only
determined by the material stiffness but the ability of
deformation, it can be concluded that the mixture with
PG58 binder is more resistant to cracking than that with
PG64 binder.
Effect of Loading Rate on Fracture Resistance
changes with the loading rate. The experimental result
shows much smaller change of the fracture energy with the
loading rate at the two lower temperature levels. It was also
found that the fracture energy decreases more noticeably
with the load rate change from level 1 to level 2 than that
from level 2 to level 3 at these two lower temperatures. This
can be explained by the fact that the material is more
ductile when it is at the highest test temperature and the
material properties are more dependent on the loading rate.

As described previously, mixture 64:P:4:L was used to (a)

1000 4.0
perform fracture testing using two additional loading rates.
3.5
The mean values for both fracture energy and peak load
800
obtained from three different loading rates are plotted in
Fracture Energy,J/m2

3.0

Peak Load, kN
Fig. 11. Loading rate levels 1, 2 and 3 represent a CMOD 2.5
600
rate of 0.00015 mm/s, 0.0005 mm/s and 0.005 mm/s,
2.0
respectively.
400 1.5
The fracture energy decreases with the increase in
loading rate at all three temperatures and this is consistent 1.0
200
with a previous study [15]. However, there is significant Fracture Energy
64:P:4:G
0.5
64:S:4:G
difference among the different temperature levels. At the Peak Load
0 0.0
highest temperature −6°C, the fracture energy significantly -36 -30 -24 -18 -12 -6 0
Temperature, ˚C
(b)
1000 3.5
1000 3.5
3.0
3.0 800
Fracture Energy,J/m2

800 2.5
Fracture Energy,J/m2

Peak Load, kN

2.5
Peak Load, kN

600 2.0
600
2.0
1.5
400
1.5
400
1.0
1.0 200
64:P:4:L 0.5
200 Fracture Energy
Fracture Energy 58:P:4:G 0.5 Peak Load 64:S:4:L
Peak Load 58:P:7:G 0 0.0
-36 -30 -24 -18 -12 -6 0
0 0.0
-36 -30 -24 -18 -12 -6 0 Temperature, ˚C
Temperature,˚C
Fig. 9 (a) Effect of modifier on mixtures with granite. (b) Effect of
Fig. 8 Plot for air voids comparison modifier on mixtures with limestone
874 Exp Mech (2010) 50:867–876

1000 4.0 1600 3.5

3.5 1400 3.0

800
Fracture Energy,J/m2

3.0 1200

2
2.5

Fracture Energy,J/m
Peak Load, kN

Peak Load, kN
600 2.5 1000
2.0
2.0 800
400 1.5
1.5 600
1.0
1.0 400
200
Fracture Energy 58:P:4:G 5mm Notch 0.5
0.5 200 Fracture Energy 15mm Notch
Peak Load 64:P:4:G Peak Load 30mm Notch
0 0.0 0 0.0
-36 -30 -24 -18 -12 -6 0 -36 -30 -24 -18 -12 -6 0
Temperature,˚C Temperature,˚C

Fig. 10 Comparison for the high limit of binder PG grade Fig. 12 Influence of notch length

The two lower temperature levels represent a more brittle
domain of the material, and the response of the asphalt
mixture is less dependent on the loading rate.
For the peak load, the values significantly increase with
the increase in loading rate at the highest test temperature.
However, no clear trend is observed for peak load variation
with the loading rate at the two lower temperature levels.
This indicates that the loading rate has significant effect on
the peak load at higher temperature, but this effect is
diminished with the decrease in temperature as the mixtures
become more brittle.
Effect of Notch Length on the Fracture Properties
The mixture 64:S:4:L was tested with three different initial
notch length to investigate the effect of notch length on the
fracture properties. The mean values for fracture energy and
peak load that represent the comparison for three different
notch length are plotted in Fig. 12. The experimental result
shows that the fracture energy significantly differs with the
notch length at −6°C, and the fracture energy increases
when the notch length decreases. At −18°C, the specimens
1200
Fracture Energy
Peak Load
1000
Fracture Energy,J/m2
with 5 mm notch length had higher fracture energy values
than those with 15 mm and 30 mm notch length, while the
latter two showed no significant difference. No significant
differences were found at the lowest temperature level for
all three notch lengths.
The peak load was found to obviously decrease with the
increase of the notch length at −6°C. At the two lower
temperatures, the peak loads for 5 mm and 15 mm notch
lengths were found not significantly different, but were
much higher than those from 30 mm notched specimens.
The experimental results shown in Fig. 12 also indicate that
the size effects are present in both fracture energy and peak
load for the test geometry and specimen size used in this
study. It was recently found by the authors that the fracture
process zone in the SCB specimens is relatively large
compared to the ligament [19]. More research is therefore
needed to further validate the findings of this study by
testing specimens with much larger fracture ligaments.
Summary and Conclusions
This work presents a repeatable SCB fracture test to
evaluate the low temperature fracture resistance of asphalt
3.5
mixture. The six mixtures included in this study represent a
3.0 combination of different factors such as binder type,
modifier type, aggregate type, and air voids. The effect of

2.5
800 the loading rate and initial notch length was also investi-
Peak Load, kN

2.0 gated. Mixture specimens cut from gyratory compacted

600 cylinders were tested at three low temperature levels based
1.5
on binder grade. The fracture resistance parameter of
400 fracture energy was calculated from the experimental data.
1.0
Experimental results show strong dependence of the low
200 -6˚C
0.5
-18˚C temperature fracture resistance on the test temperature.
-30˚C
0 0.0 Experimental plots and low COV values from three
0 1 2 3 replicates show a satisfactory repeatability with the test.
Loading Rate Level
The comparison analysis shows that the aggregate type
Fig. 11 Influence of loading rate has significant effect on fracture resistance. Mixtures with
Exp Mech (2010) 50:867–876
granite aggregates have higher fracture energy and peak
load than those with limestone, all other factors being
constant. This difference between two different aggregates
is also confirmed from the fracture surface observation after
testing at the two lower test temperatures. While a
significant portion of the fracture passed through the
aggregate particles in the mixture made with limestone,
most fracture in mixture made with the granite passes
through the interface between the mastic. The analysis
shows significant difference for both fracture energy and
peak load between mixtures with different air voids and that
higher air voids most likely result in lower fracture
resistance.
Mixtures with SBS modified asphalt binder were found
to have significant higher fracture energy than mixtures
with plain binder, especially at the two lower temperatures.
However, the effect from the modifier on the fracture peak
load was only found at the two lower temperatures. The
experimental results show that the high PG grade affects
fracture resistance. Mixtures with high PG grade 58 binder
were found higher fracture energy but lower peak load than
mixtures with high PG grade 64 binder, when all other
factors kept constant.
As expected, loading rate was found to have influence
on the fracture energy. The fracture energy decreases with
the increase in loading rate at all three temperatures. When
significant decrease in fracture energy were found with the
increase of the loading rate at the highest test temperature,
the effect due to loading rate on the fracture energy was
mostly diluted at the two lower temperatures. Comparison
from experimental results shows that notch length has
significant effect on fracture energy at the highest temper-
ature and the influence is obviously diluted at the two lower
test temperatures. No clear trend was found with the
fracture peak load from the effect of loading rate or notch
length.
Acknowledgement This research is sponsored by Federal Highway
Administration National Pooled Fund Study 776. This support is
gratefully acknowledged. The results and opinions presented are those
of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the sponsoring
agencies.
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