Scholars' Mine

Masters Theses Student Theses and Dissertations

1964

The effect of gap graded aggregate on the properties of hot mix

asphaltic concrete
Maurice L. Northcutt

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Recommended Citation
Northcutt, Maurice L., "The effect of gap graded aggregate on the properties of hot mix asphaltic
concrete" (1964). Masters Theses. 5648.
https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/masters_theses/5648

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THE EFFECT OF GAP GRADED AGGREGATE ON THE PROPERTIES
OF HOT MIX ASPHALTI C CONCRETE

BY

AAAURICE L . NORTHCUTT) h i %-

THESIS

submitted to the facu lty of the

UNIVERSI TY OF MISSOURI AT ROLLA

in p a rtia l fu lfillm e n t of the requirements for the

Degree of

MASTER OF SC I E NC E, CIVIL ENGINEERING

R oI Ia > ^i s s o u r i

1964

Approved by
 ABSTRACT

The objective of th is inv e stig a tio n was to determine t he effects

of d ev ia tion s from the recommended g r a d a t i o n of aggregate upon asphalt

concrete mixes. The aggregate used in th is s t u d y was a good grade

M issouri Lim estone and was m i x e d w i t h an asphalt cement of 85-100

p en etration grade. A control m i x was designed in accordance with the

Marshall Me t hod using a g radation recommended by the Asphalt In s ti­

tute. Ten aggregate b l e n d s were prepared by w a s t i n g certa in fra ctio n s

or com binations of fra ctio n s and th e w a s t e d w e i g h t s wer e re d istrib u te d

into the coarser or fin e r aggregate sizes. The test mixes were de­

signed using the same method and p r o c e d u r e as the c o n t r o l mix.

The e f f e c t s of using gap g r a d e d aggregate on the u n i t w eight,

s ta b ility , voids in the m in e ra l aggregate, air voids and flo w , of

the b itu m in o u s mixes were studied. It was f o u nd that some o f t he

mixes could be u se d s a t i s f a c t o r i l y w ithout m odification depending

upon the s i z e and location of the wa ste d fraction.

 i i i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The w rite r wishes to e x p r e s s h is sin ce re appreciation t o Dr.

T. S. Fry for h is suggestion of the p r o b l e m , and for h is guidance

and encouragement during the preparation of th is thesis.

The w rite r is also indebted to the S p e c i a l Projects S taff,

C orp s of E n g i n e e r s Waterways Experim ent S tation for th e ir coopera­

tion in furnishing m aterial for use in th is study.

T ha n k s are also offered for the assistance given by members of

the staff of th e C i v i l Engineering Department, U n iv e rsity of M issouri

at Rol l a .
 iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................... it

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................... rIi

L I S T OF FIGURES ....................................................... v

L I S T OF TABLES ........................................................................................................ vi

I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 1

II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE ............................................................................... 5

III. PROCEDURE AND RESULTS .............................................................................. 13

IV. DISCUSSION .................................................................................................... 27

V. CONCLUSIONS .................................................................................................. 39

VI. RECOMMENDATIONS .......................................................................................... 40

BIBLI OGRAPHY ............................................................................................................ 41

VITA ............................................................................................................................ 42
 V

LIST OF FIGURES

PAGE

AGGREGATE GRADATION CURVE _ MIX A ................. 16

AGGREGATE GRADATION CURVES - C MIXES .......... 19

AGGREGATE GRADATION CURVES - F MIXES .......... 20

UNIT WEIGHT RELATIONSHIPS _ C MIXES ............ 28

UNIT WEIGHT RELATIONSHIPS - F MIXES ............ 28

MARSHALL S T A B I L I T Y RELATIONSHIPS _ C MIXES 29

AAARSHALL S T A B I L I T Y RELATIONSHIPS - F MIXES 29

VOIDS IN TOTAL MIX RELATIONSHIPS - C MIXES 30

VOIDS IN TOTAL MIX RELATIONSHIPS - F MIXES 30

VOIDS IN MINERAL AGGREGATE CURVES _ C MIXES 31

VOIDS IN MINERAL AGGREGATE CURVES _ F MIXES 31

FLOW RELATIONSHIPS _ C MIXES ........................... 38

FLOW RELATIONSHIPS - F MIXES 38

 VI

LIST OF TABLES

TABLE PAGE

I ASPHALT ABSORPTION OF THE AGGREGATE AND THE E F F E C T I V E

ASPHALT CONTENT OF THE BITUMINOUS MIX ................................. 14

II PROPERTIES OF THE BITUMINOUS MIXES AT OPTIMUM ASPHALT

CONTENTS ............................................................................................. 17

III AGGREGATE GRADATION DATA .............................................................. 18

IV PROPERTIES OF BITUMINOUS MIXES _ MIX " A " (CONTROL

MI X) ..................................................................................................... 22

V TEST PROPERTIES OF BITUMINOUS MIXES _ " C " MIXES ............. 25

VI TEST PROPERTIES OF BITUMINOUS MIXES - "F" MIXES ............. 26

 i

I. INTRODUCTION

In the past few y e a r s an e v e r increasing number of newly con­

structed and re h a b ilita te d roads have been surfaced with bitum inous

mixes. Mo r e th an 90% o f all m ileage placed in recent years under

the supervisio n of State Highway O ffic ia ls included a bitum inous sur-

(1 )
face. T he advent and incre a sin g use of the bitum inous s ta b iliz e d

base course in d ica te s that th is present trend w ill contin ue. A re­

port prepared by the S t a n f o r d Research In s titu te re ve a ls that up to

100 m i l l i o n d o lla rs a n nu ally could be s a v e d by using bitum inous

(2 )
mixes for most of t he Interstate Defense Highway System.

The prim ary advantages in using bitum inous paving mixes are t he

re la tiv e ly l ow in itia l costs, ease and s p e e d of co n stru ctio n , nonskid

surfa ce, no g l a r e surface, and t he fact that tra ffic is allow ed on the

surface almost im m ediately.

A bitum inous p avement co n sists of com binations of natural manmade

aggregate w ith bitum inous b inder. The natural aggregate may be residual

m aterial or a transported deposit. The residual m ate rials g e n e ra lly oc­

cur in large deposits and are obtained by quarrying, w h ile transported

deposits are found in stream beds, sand and gravel bars, and a llu v ia l

fans. Manmade aggregates in the U n i t e d States co n sists m ainly of in ­

d u s tria lly prepared b la st furnace sla g . U su a lly aggregates are divided

into three cla sse s according to s i z e ; coarse, fin e and m i n e r a l fille r.

Coarse aggregate is g en e ra lly defined as that m aterial which is re­

tained on a No. 10 s i e v e , fin e aggregate that m aterial which w ill pass

the No. 10 s i e v e and be retained on the No- 200 s i e v e , and m i n e r a l

 2

fille r that m aterial which w ill pass the No. 200 s i e v e . The coarse

and/or fine aggregate may be g r a v e l , crushed stone, natural sand,

crushed s and or com binations thereof. T he fille r may be n a t u r a l l y

contained in the coarse or fine aggregate o r may be added in the form

of lim estone dust, natural sands, Portland cement or fly ash. U su ally

two o r more sources of aggregate are used to o b t a i n a desired grada­

tion, although occasion ally, a sin g le a g g r e g a t e may be found or pro­

d uc ed to g i v e the d esired resu lts. Aggregate gradation determines

the d e n s i t y of the p a v i n g m i x . An open graded aggregate contains

little or no fille r and w i l l produce a h ig h ly p e r m e a b l e mass when

used in a bitum inous mix. A d en se graded aggregate is norm ally u n i­

form ly graded w i t h s u ffic ie n t fille r to reduce the void spaces to

very small d im e n s io n s which re su lts in a re la tiv e ly i m p e r m e a b l e mass

when used in a b itu m in o u s mix. A gap graded aggregate has one o r more

fraction s m issing in th e s m a l l e r size coarse aggregate or t he top s i z e

fine aggregate. A bituminous mix u s i n g gap g r a d e d aggregate is u su ally

a d en se m i x t u r e re su ltin g i n maximum i n t e r l o c k of t he c o a r s e aggregate

p a rticle s. The h i g h density is achieved by w a s t i n g that p a rticle size

or sizes which cause the b u l k i n g a ction in the coarse aggregate. The

bituminous binder used in road b u ild in g is a visco us liq u id which ranges

in consistency from som eth ing s lig h tly th icker than w a t e r to a hard and

b rittle m aterial depending on temperature. Regardless of the co n sist­

ency the b i n d e r must be in liq u id f o r m when u s e d in p r e p a r i n g a bitu -

mi nous m i x.

To perform s a t i s f a c t o r i l y a bituminous p avement must meet certain

requirem ents which are ca lle d properties of th e mix. These pro perties
 3

ar e s ta b ility , flo w , unit w eight, air voids and voids in t he m i n e r a l

fille r. The s ta b ility of a mix is recognized as one of th e most im­

portant p ro p erties and is p rim a rily a fun ction of the fric tio n and

cohesion developed bet we en the aggregate and the b i n d e r . F rictio n

d ep e n d s on s u r f a c e texture, intergranuIar contact pressure of the ag­

gregate, and film thickness of th e binder. Cohesion depends on the

character and c o n s i s t e n c y of t he b inder, g radation of the aggregate,

and the adhesion between aggregate and b i n d e r .

There are various ways in which bitum inous surfaces may be pro­

duced, ranging from inexpensive surface treatments to h o t mix as­

p h a ltic concretes. P av e m e n t s a r e commonl y described by the method

of mix preparation , in clu d in g plant mix, mixed in place and s u r f a c e

treatments. Cold plant mixes are produced by c o m b i n i n g aggregate

w ith lig h t cutbacks or em ulsions and are placed and c o m p a c t e d at

n ormal temperatures. Hot p lant mixes are produced by m i x i n g aggre­

gate and b i n d e r at elevated temperatures with both constituen ts heated

to s p e c i f i e d temperatures before m ixin g, and the mix placed and com­

pacted w h ile hot. The m i x e d in place, or road m ix, is produced by m i x ­

ing th e aggregate and b i n d e r on the r oad way surface. This is g en erally

a lower q u a lity mi x in w h ic h the a g g r e g a t e may be lo ca lly procured or

imported. Surface treatments may be defined as alternate a p p lica tion s

of aggregate and b i n d e r to a prepared r oad way s u r f a c e . When th e ma­

te ria ls are applied to an e x i s t i n g pavement th is surface treatment is

referred to as a seal coat.^ ^

Hot plant mi x is the most d esira b le of the aforementioned types

of preparation for p a v e m e nt s subject t o h eav y tra ffic volume because

 4

of better q u a lity con trol, greater u n ifo rm ity , better co a tin g and a d ­

hesion, better resistance to ra v e llin g , sup erior rid in g q u a lity ,

greater d u ra b ility and u l t i m a t e l y most econ omy .

Current s p e cific a tio n s are t he re su lt of past performance of both

s a tisfa cto ry and u n s a t i s f a c t o r y bitum inous p a v eme nt s and are w r i t t e n

to c o v e r all types and g r a d e s of m a te ria ls. The narrow g ra d a tio n

lim its s p e cifie d for aggregates often do not allo w for gap g r a d e d ag­

gregates or aggregates which do n o t meet g radation s p e cific a tio n s .

N evertheless the use of such g ra da tio n s can resu lt in a mix that would

perform s a t i s f a c t o r i l y under certain cond itions.

Mixes using gap graded aggregate are u su a lly designed as dense

mixes which a| l ow t h e coarse aggregate to d e v e lo p maximum in te rlo ck .

This is accom plished by- w a s t i n g one o r more fra ctio n s of the t op siz e

fin e aggregate or the small s iz e large aggregate. This type of mix

should be m a c h i n e placed to p ro d uce a uniform texture, sin ce hand

placing tends to s e g r e g a t e the mix. Gap g r a d e d m i x e s have been usfed

to c o n s t r u c t p a v e m e nt s w h i c h have long and s a t i s f a c t o r y service re-

14)
cords. The Corps of E n g i n e e r s Waterways Experim ent Station has

conducted a I im ited amount o f research in the fie ld of aggregate

gradation and has concluded that much more wor k is necessary before

(5)
reaching a sound basis for design.

With these factors in mind the purpose of th is research is to

determine how much d e v ia tio n from th e present s p e cific a tio n s is pos­

s ib le w h ile sa tis fy in g the minimum r e q u i r e m e n t s for s a tisfa cto ry pave­

ment p e r f o r m a n c e based on c o n v e n t i o n a l laboratory procedure.

 5

II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE

So far as the w r i t e r has been able to a scertain, the only re­

search that has been conducted concerning the use of gap graded ag­

gregates in h ot mi x b i t u m i n o u s mixes was by t h e U. S. Corps of E n g i­

neers Waterways Experiment S tation . Although the research was lim ite d

it did reveal that mixes prepared using gap g r a d e d aggregates pos­

sessed p ro p erties that were comparable to asphalt mixes prepared with

( 5)
w ell graded aggregates of th e same maximum s i z e .

T he p hysical requirem ents recommended for bitum inous concrete

p a v e m e nt s are b a s e d on u n i t w eight, s ta b ility , a lim ite d range of air

voids and a minimum v o l u m e of void space in the m i n e r a l aggregate.^6 '

To design properly a bitum inous mix, it is necessary to thoroughly in­

vestig ate t he primary factors a ffectin g the p hysical requirem ents or

proper t ie s of th e m i x .

A. M a t e r i al s .

M ineral aggregates com prise about 90% o f the compacted bitum inous

mi x; therefore the pro p erties of the aggregate must be given d ue c o n ­

s id e ra tio n . Many S t a t e Highway Departments require the use o f a cer­

tain percentage of crushed aggregate in bitum inous mixes. According

to H u d s o n , a gap graded aggregate w ithout t he w e d g i n g action of in te r­

m ediate size p a rtic le s would give greater th an the average gra da tion

recommended by the A s p h a l t I n s t it u t e .* " 7' This also im plies higher

s ta b ility provided there are s u ffic ie n t a ir voids to prevent ru ttin g

or shoving in the pavement. Although th is is in reference to un­

crushed aggregate the same is g e n e ra lly true of crushed aggregate.

 8

According to M c L e o d the grading perm itted by most s p e c i f i c a t i o n s are

too n a r r o w and re strictiv e , and s h o u l d be as b r o a d as p o s s i b l e so long

as the paving m i x t u r e me et s t h e minimum r e q u i r e m e n t s necessary for

sa tis fa cto ry performance. These requirements should not be lim ite d

to a gradation b an d and a r a n g e of bitumen content in p e r c e n t by

w eight. A sieve an alysis and b i t u m e n content would provide little

evidence for u n sa tisfa cto ry p avement performance, e sp e c ia lly if both

were f o u nd t o be w ithin s p e cific a tio n l im its as s o frequently hap-

(8)
pens.

The asphalt cement should be c h o s e n with due c o n s i d e r a t i o n for

such factors as tra ffic, clim a te , s o ils and aggregate which w ill in -

flu en ce the cost and p e r f o r m a n c e of the fin ish e d pavement. Paving

mixes p l a c e d on highways w i t h medium t o lig h t tra ffic should use an

85-100 p e n e t r a t io n asphalt cement in m oderate to hot clim ate s, and

asphalt cement with p en etration of 120-150 in c o l d clim ate s. For

heavy tra ffic the asphalt c ement should be 6 0 - 70 p e n etration in hot

clim ate s and 8 5 - 1 0 0 pen etration in cold to m o d e r a t e clim a te s.

B. P roperties of the B i t u m i n o u s M i x t u r e .

The p h y s i c a l p ro p erties of a compacted b i t u m i n o u s mix are in te r­

related and are all important in the design of a s a tis fa cto ry paving

mix. Many designers give top p rio rity to s t a b i l i t y , the resistance

to displacem ent. This also im plies resistance to r u t t i n g and/or shov­

ing. This high p rio rity assigned to s t a b i l i t y must not be at the ex­

p e n s e of pavement d u ra b ility . If asphalt content for maximum s t a b i l i t y

is s ig n ifica n tly lower t han that required for o pt i mu m c o n d i t i o n s there

is a good c h a n c e for the pavement to lack d u ra b ility . In a d d itio n to

 7

the asphalt cement to aggregate ra tio , the s ta b ility is affected by

t he character and c o n s i s t e n c y of the asphalt cement at the time o f

m ixing and c o m p a c t i n g , gra da tio n and maximum s i z e of aggregate, shape

and surface texture of the aggregate, amount and type of com paction,

and th ickn ess of th e p avement surface. S ta b ility is developed by ag­

gregate in te rlo ck , internal fric tio n c a u s e d by p a rtic le contact an d

(9)
cohesion of t he binder. Tests for s ta b ility should be c a r r i e d out

in the hig h er p o rtio n of the temperature range to which the pav eme nt

is t o be subjected.

The unit w eight or density is d ire ctly re la te d to the a ir voids

in the compacted mix. When the a ir voids are b e l o w recommended lim its ,

the s ta b ility and d u ra b ility may be at or a b ov e acceptable le v e ls;

however, there is the danger of flu sh in g or bleeding of the pavement.

Conversely air voids abov e maximum r ecommended v a l u e s w ill g en erally

cause premature hardening of the mix and p o s s i b l y d egradation of the

aggregate. T he p r e m a t u r e hardening is a resu lt of in tru sio n of air

and w a t e r into the h i g h l y permeable compacted m ix. A ir void s in the

c o m p a c t e d mi x provide space for the asphalt c emen t to e n t e r in the

event of further co n so lid a tio n after in itia l com paction. This pre­

vents flu sh in g , ru ttin g or shoving of the pavement. As asphalt ce­

ment is added to the mi x it fills the air voids to a p o i n t where

further a d d itio n tends to s p r e a d the aggregate p a rtic le s apart leav­

ing the a ir v o id s v irtu a lly unchanged. A d ifferen t and rather lo g i­

cal approach to the a ir voids in a compacted mix is suggested by

Sonderegger. At low a s p h a l t contents the s l o p e of the a ir voids

curve is very steep and d e c r e a s e s as the asphalt content is

 8

increased. The c u r v e w i l l ultim a te ly flatten out when t he asphalt

forces the a g g r e g a t e s apart as m e n t i o n e d e a rlie r. If the c u r v e is

re la tiv e ly steep at the a s p h a l t content in q u e s tio n , it is certain

that there a r e more v o i d s t o be f i l l e d and i f the a s p h a l t content in

question is on t h e f l a t portion of the c u r v e , it is almost c erta in

that there ar e few i f any v o i d s le ft t o be f i l l e d . If th is theory

is applied, any method may be u sed t o d e t e r m i n e the s p e c i f i c g rav ity

(91
and t h e n u m e r i c a l value o f the a i r voids.

Voids in the mineral aggregate are defined as the in te rg ra n u Ia r

v o id space between a g g r e g a t e p a r t i c l e s when u s i n g b u l k sp e cific grav­

ity . The amount of asphalt that produces the h i g h e s t u nit weight w ill
(5)
g ene rally produce the minimum v o i d s in t he m i n e r a l aggregate.

Although the f l o w v a lu e is not u s e d as a d e s i g n property, it is

an in d ica tio n of the d e g r e e o f p la stic ity of the mix.

C. Factors A ffe c tin g the P r o p e r t i e s of a Bituminous M ix .

The r e l a t i v e affect of gradation on the b i t u m i n o u s mi x is re­

flected in the n ar r ow g r a d a t i o n bands o f most s p e c i f i c a t i o n s . Accord­

ing to the research by t h e Wat er ways E x p e r i m e n t S t a t i o n sa tisfa cto ry

mi xes can be o b t a i n e d w i t h deviations from recommended g r a d a t i o n of

(5)
p l u s 7% t o minus 11%, u s i n g crushed aggregate. Well g r aded u n­

crushed aggregate produces a higher density than w e l l g r a de d c r u s h e d

aggregate, although the uncrushed aggregate cannot develop in te rlo ck

for the h i g h s ta b ility f o un d in the c r u s h e d aggregate. T h is is

offset in part by t he increased area o f contact in t he u n c r u s h e d ag­

gregate w i t h the g r e a t e r density. Previous research has indicated

that s t a b i l i t y is b a sica lly a fu nction of the g r a i n sh ape o f the fine

 9

aggregate fractio n and i s i n f l u e n c e d by the amount o f mi nu s No. 200

fra ctio n in the m i x . This is g enerally true of well gr aded aggregates

with a considerable amount o f t he fine aggregate and a l i m i t e d amount

(9)
of coarse aggregate. In a gap gr ad ed a g g r e g a t e w i t h some of the

fin e aggregate fra ctio n wasted, the coarse aggregate i n t e r l o c k w o ul d

l e n d more to the s t a b i l i t y of t he mix than the internal fric tio n in

t he fine and c o a r s e aggregate fractio n s. The v o i d s in t h e m i n e r a l

aggregate are lim ited by the maximum s i z e aggregate in the mix, pro­

vided there is a sig n ifica n t quantity of the maximum s i z e fra ctio n .

The s p e c i f i c gravity of t he c o n s t i t u e n t s of a bitu m in ou s mix is

necessary to determine the w e i g h t - v o l u m e re la tio n sh ip s. There are

three d e f in it io n s for s p e c if ic g ravity n o r m a l l y used i n the computa­

tio n of u n it w eights and v o i d s in a b i t u m i n o u s mi x. The volume of

voids in a b i t u m i n o u s mix w i l l depend on w h i c h method is used t o

determine the s p e c i f i c gravity. Bulk s p e c i f i c g rav ity, t h e most com­

monly used in the d e t e r m in a t io n o f mix p r o p e r t i e s , is the ratio of

the weight in a i r of a g i v e n volume o f a p e rm ea b l e m a t e r i a l (in clu d ­

i n g b ot h p e r m e a b l e and impermeabl e v o i d s normal t o the m a t e r i a l ) at

a stated temperature t o the w e i g h t in air of an equal volume o f dis­

tille d water at a stated temperature. Apparent s p e c i f i c gravity d if­

fers only in that the volume c o n s i d e r e d includes only t he impermeable

voids in t h e a g g r e g a t e . T he e f f e c t i v e sp e cific gravity fa lls between

t he o t h e r two and d i f f e r s inasmuch as the volume c o n s i d e r e d includ es

(8)
only the p er m e a b l e v o i d s that can be f i l l e d with a b s o r b e d bi tumen.

It is difficult to d e t e r m i n e the amount o f a b s o r b e d bitumen for

several reasons, the most troublesome b ein g the fact that the s p e c i f i c
 10

g ra vity of the aggregate is not d e fin ite . The only time the s p e cific

g ra vity is d e fin ite is when the aggregate has ab so lu te ly no capacity

for absorption. The absorption of bitumen into the aggregate depends

on the consisten cy and c h a r a c t e r of the b i t u m i n o u s m ate rial, its tem­

perature during m ixing, and the frequency and in te n s ity of hot weather

during the early service of the pavement. If the aggregate h as little

or no absorptive capacity any o f the valu es for s p e cific gra vity may

be u s e d w i t h s a tis fa cto ry re su lts. G en era lly a porous aggregate w ill

not absorb as much b i t u m e n as w a t e r . The most e ffe c tiv e means o f de­

term ining the amount of bitumen absorbed into the aggregate is by the

use o f t he Rice Method described i n The Asphalt In s titu te 's Manual

S eries No. 2 (Mix Design Methods for Asphalt Concrete).

D. The M a r s h a l I M e t h o d .

The M a r s h a l l Method has proven to be a very s a tis fa cto ry method

for d esign ing bitum inous pavements. The me t hod h a s b ee n adopted by a

number o f state highway departments and independent con su lta n ts. T he

method d e v e lo p e d by B r u c e G. M arshall determ ines fiv e p ro perties of a

bitum inous mix: s ta b ility , flo w , u nit w eight, per cent a ir voids and

per cent void s fille d w ith bitumen. T h e me thod h as b een revised to use

v oid s in t he m i n e r a l aggregate instead of per cent void s fille d . The

s ta b ility test is performed by using a sem i-confined compression type

shear device that compresses a 4" diameter by 2 1/2" th ick specimen

b et we e n two s e g m e n t s of a 4" in sid e diam eter rin g . The force is ap­

p lie d p a ra lle l rather th an p e r p e n d ic u l ar to th e fla t faces.

The specimen is prepared by h e a t i n g approxim ately 7200 grams of

the desired aggregate blend to a temperature of 350°-380°F and m i x i n g

 11

it with a s p e cifie d quantity of asphalt cement heated to a temperature

of 250°-280°F. Increments of 0.5% a s p h a l t cement are ad d ed to s u c c e s ­

siv e 7200 gram a g g r e g a t e batches to determine the o p t imu m asphalt con­

tent. The constituen ts are mixed as thoroughly as p o ssib le and h e l d

at a temperature of not less than 225°F u n til six 1200 gram s p e c i m e n

have b een compacted. The s p e c i m e n s are compacted by p l a c i n g th e mi x

in the com paction mold and s t r i k i n g it 50 times on each face w ith a

10 p ou n d hammer dropped from a h e i g h t of 18” . The mold and hammer

should be at temperature of 200°-300°F. during com paction. A fter

com paction the specimen is allo w ed to cool in water for not less than

2 m inutes after which it is extracted and allow ed to cool for not less

than 12 h o u r s . Then the density of the specimen is determined by w e ig h ­

ing it in a ir and i mmersed in water. The s p e c i m e n is then placed in a

water bath at 140°F. for approxim ately 25 m i n u t e s before being tested

in the M a r s h a l l M achine. T he specimen is fa ile d in the M a r s h a l l Ma­

chine with t he d ial reading and flo w values at fa ilu re recorded. The

d ial is used to measure t he d eflectio n of a proving rin g which c an be

converted into pounds. Six specimens from ea c h sample are tested and

the average v a lu e s of u nit w eight, a ir v o id s, voids in the mineral ag­

gregate, s ta b ility and flow are recorded. These average values ar e

p lo tte d as a fun ction of the asphalt content. T h e o pt i mu m asphalt

content is determined by a v e r a g i n g the asphalt contents that produce

maximum u n i t w eight, maximum s t a b i l i t y and 4% a i r voids for any p a r ­

ti cuIar g r a d a t i on.
 12

E. Methods of C om putation.

The two most w idely accepted methods of computing the v a lu e s of

the p r o p e r t ie s of a bitum inous paving mix are th e s u r f a c e a r e a me thod

and the v o i d s method. The surface area theory is based on the a s su mp ­

tion that bitumen coats the s u r f a c e of the aggregate p a rtic le s and the

amount of bitumen required is d ire ctly p ro portional to the amount of

surface area of t he aggregate. This requires a high bitumen content

for a d en se mi x and a l ow b i t u m e n content for an open g ra d e d mix. The

th ickn ess of bitumen film on the aggregate is ca lle d the bitumen index

and is inversely proportional to the amount of aggregate surface. T he

voids met hod is b a s e d on the assumption that the b i t u m e n fills the

void s in the m ineral aggregate and th e amount of bitumen required is

d ire ctly proportional to the volume of the v o i d s in the m ineral ag­

gregate. T his me t h o d also requires a high bitumen content for dense

graded mixes and a low bitumen content for open graded bitum inous

mixes. T h e v o i d s me t hod is associated w ith t he M a r s h a l l Method.

 13

III. PROCEDURE AND RESULTS

A. Materi a I s .

The aggregate sele cte d for use in th is s t u d y was an average

q u a lity crushed lim estone and is repre sen tative of t he stone found

in a b u nd an ce in C e n t r a l M isso u ri. T he a g g r e g a t e was h a r d and d u r ­

able w ith no apparent cla y content or other ob jection a b le m aterial

and all fra ctio n s wer e of the same p a r e n t m ate rial. T he aggregate

was m e c h a n i c a l l y sieved into the d iffe re n t fra ctio n s but was n ot

w as he d because a s to ck p ile d aggregate w o u l d have s m a l l e r p a rtic le s

adhering to t he Iarger fra ctio n in approxim ately t h e same q u a n t i t y .

T he bulk s p e c ific gra vity of the a g g r e g a t e was used in com putin g

th e mix properties because the percent asphalt absorbed by the ag­

gregate was found to be v e r y low (Table I). The asphalt absorption

was found by determ ining the v irtu a l s p e c ific g ra vity of the aggre­

gate by the Rice M e t h o d . T h e v irtu a l s p e cific g ra vity was used

in the equation shown w i t h Table I to comp u t e th e asphalt absorption

and the e f f e c t i v e asphalt content. The mixes chosen to c omp u t e the

valu es for absorption and e f f e c t i v e s p e cific gra vity were those that

most nearly approached a v o id le ss mix. To d e te rm in e these values the

voids in t h e m i x must be o v e r f i l l e d w ith asphalt to p r e v e n t the compu­

tation of a ir void volume as v ol ume of asphalt.

T he bitum inous binder sele cte d for th is research was an a s p h a l t

cement w i t h a p en etration of 85-10 and was s u p p l i e d by T h e A m e r i c a n

Bitum uls and A s p h a l t Company. The p en etration of the asphalt cement

was c h e c k e d at regular in te rv a ls throughout the tests and found t o be

in the range f rom 8 8 - 9 3 .

 14

T AB LE I

ASPHALT ABSORPTION OF THE AGGREGATE AND THE E F F E C T I V E

ASPHALT CONTENT OF THE BITUMINOUS MIX

% %
EFFECTIVE ACTUAL
(G - G ) %
ASPHALT ASPHALT
G v a9 G x G A
MIX V x 100 v ab ac CONTENT CONTENT

A 2.658 0.8 7.04 .114 6.40 6.5

C1 2.655 0.5 7.03 .071 5.45 5.5

C3 2.66 1.0 7.06 .142 5.87 6.0

F3 2.67 2.0 7.08 .283 6.25 6.5

F4 2.655 0.5 7.03 . 071 7.45 7.5

G = the v i r t u a l s p e c ific g ra vity of the aggregate (RICE METHOD)

V

G = the bulk s p e cific g ra vity of the aggregate

ag
A = a s p h a l t l o s t by absorption into the aggregate (lbs/100 lbs o
ac
dry a g g r e g a t e !

P. = total asphalt content (lbs/100 I bs of total mix)

tac

P = e ffe c tiv e asphalt content (lbs/100 lbs of e ffe c tiv e mi x)

eac

A G — G
ac v____ a£ x 100
G x G
v ag

P P± - A (100 - P. )
eac tac ac t ac
________ 100____________ x 100
100 - A (100 - P. )
ac t ac
100
 15

B. The B i t u m i n o u s M i x .

A control m i x was designed fo llo w in g an average of th e aggregate

gra da tion lim its recommended by The A s p h a l t In s titu te and was prepared

a total of s ix times and the average resu lts were used as the b a sis for

comparison w ith o th e r mixes in th is study (Figure 1 and T a b l e II). The

aggregate for the test m i x e s was blended using two b r o a d ca te g o rie s

d esignated as M i x e s C for those with more coarse aggregate and as

M ixes F for those w ith more fin e aggregate. T he c o a r s e r M ix C was

blended by w a s t i n g one o r mo r e aggregate fraction s and r e p l a c i n g them

by an e q u a l weight d is trib u te d to the fra ctio n s coarser than the wasted

fra ctio n (i.e . The fra ctio n retained on No. 10 s i e v e was w a s t e d and

t h e same w e i g h t was d is trib u te d p r o p o r t i o n a t e l y to the No. 4 and the

1/2 inch fra ctio n ). The fin e r Mix F was p r e p a r e d in a sim ila r ma n n e r

w ith the w e ig h t of the w a s t e d fra ctio n d istrib u te d to the size s below

the wasted fra ctio n (Table III).

W ithin each of the broad ca te g o rie s th e r e were fiv e separate

gradations C1 through C5, and F1 through F5 e a c h blended with a d if­

ferent fra ctio n or com bination of fra ctio n s wasted (Figures 2 and 3 ) .

M i x C1 was prepared by w a s t i n g th e fra ctio n retained on the No. 10

sieve and re d is trib u tin g the w e i g h t s in p roportion ate amounts to the

No. 4 and the 1/2 inch fra ctio n s. C2 was p r e p a r e d in a sim ila r man­

ner w ith t h e No. 40 f r a c t i o n being wasted and w e i g h t re d is trib u te d

to t h e No. 10, No. 4 and the 1/2 inch fra ctio n . C3 was prepared by

w asting t h e No. 4 fra ctio n and re d is trib u tin g the w e ig h t to the 1/2

inch fra ctio n . C4 was blended by w a s t i n g both t h e No. 4 and N o . 10

fra ctio n s and adding th e ir combined w e i g h t s to the 1/2 inch fra ctio n .
 U. S. S i andard S ie v e D esign ation

G rain S ize in M i l l i m e t e r s (Log S c a le )

FIGURE 1. AGGREGATE GRADATION CURVE _ M I X A

 17

TABLE II

PROPERTIES OF THE BITUMINOUS MIXES AT OPTIMUM ASPHALT CONTENTS

% %
OPTIMUM UNIT % VOIDS
ASPHALT WT. STABILITY FLOW AIR MINERAL
MIX CONTENT (DCf ) (LBS) (1/100") VOIDS AGG

A 5.13 150.2 3125 8.0 2.40 16.4

C1 4.43 150.7 3100 12.5 2.25 14.9

C2 4.46 150.0 1700 9.0 2.6 15.3

C3 4.86 151 . 0 3550 12.0 2. 1 15.2

C4 4.36 150.1 2350 11.5 3. 1 15.6

C5 4.93 146.9 1750 10.9 4. 1 18.7

F1 5.63 147.5 2950 14.0 2.6 18.6

F2 5.36 147.1 4000 7.0 2.9 18.3

F3 5.67 148.4 4100 9.6 2.4 18.3

F4 7.0 147.5 3850 14.0 1.2 20.6

F5 6.8 145.8 3200 8.8 2.1 21.5

 18

T A B LE III

AGGREGATE GRADATION DATA

GRADATION
% F IN E R BY WEIGHT
CONTROL
COARSE MIXES M IX F IN E MIXES
C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 "A " F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
STANDARD SIEVE DESIGNATION

3 /4 " 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

COARSE
1 /2 " 87 88 60 40 80 90 90 90 90 90 90

#4 47 47 60 40 20 60 60 60 90 90 60

#10 47 20 40 40 20 40 60 40 60 90 60_

FINE
#40 20 20 20 20 20 20 30 40 30 45 60

#80 14 14 14 14 14 14 21 28 21 32 42_

F IL L E R
S.

#200 6 6 6 6 6 6 9 12 9 13 18

z>
 19

U. S. Standard Sieve D esignation

Percent Finer by Weight

FIGURE 2. AGGREGATE GRADATION CURVES _ C MIXES

 20

U. S. Standard Sieve D esign ation

G rain S ize in M i l l i m e t e r s (Log S cale)

F I GUR E 3. AGGREGATE GRADATION CURVES _ F MIXES

 21

C4 was b l e n d e d by w a s t i n g both the No. 4 and No. 10 fraction s and

adding th e ir combined w e i g h t s to the 1/2 inch fra ctio n . C5 was p r e ­

pared in a lik e manner by w a s t i n g the No. 10 and No. 40 f r a c t i o n s and

re d is trib u tin g t he combined w e i g h t s to the No. 4 and the 1/2 inch frac-

t i ons.

The m i x e s design ated F1 through F 5 we r e blended in much t he same

manner as the C M i x e s , except that the w e i g h t s were d istrib u te d down­

wa r d in t he F Mixes. T h e mi x n umbe rs correspond to the fra ctio n that

was w a s t e d in every case (Table III).

T he M a r s h a l l p r o c e d u r e was used to o b t a i n th e test data for each

of the bitum inous mixes. The data thus derived were used to e sta b lish

the opti mum asphalt content and to determine certa in p hysical charac­

te ris tic s of t he m i x . T he v o i d s me t h o d as discussed pre viou sly was

used to determine the u nit w eight, a ir voids and the voids in the

mineral aggregate. Two p r o c e d u r e s of com putation we r e e m p l o y e d to

determine the mix ch a ra cte ristics w ith comparable resu lts. F irs t,

the mix properties were determined using each specimen se p a ra te ly and

those p ro p erties ob viously in error were discarded before the v a lu e s

were averaged. The disadvantage in using th is method is the incon­

siste n cy caused by d i s c a r d i n g one o f the p r o p e r t i e s of a p a rtic u la r

specimen w h i l e using other pro p erties of th e same s p e c i m e n . Second,

only the u nit weight of the s p e c i m e n s w e r e u s e d as a b a sis for com­

pu ta tion after discardin g those valu es o b v io usly in e r r o r . The

second p r o c e d u r e was chosen for th is study b e c a u s e of the co n sist­

ency in the resu lts that were obtained by the discarding of erroneous

u nit w eights. (See s a m p l e c a lcu la tio n s in T a b le IV).

 22

TABLE IV

PROPERTIES OF BITUMINOUS MIXES - MIX A (CONTROL M I X)

V
ac
+ %
UNIT %
V V V A
MIX AC WT ac aq aq V VMA St F

A* 4.5 147.7 6.53 53.30 59.83 4.13 17.0 2700 7.0

5.0 149.4 7.34 53.50 60.34 2.50 16.6 3100 8.5

5.5 150.3 8.13 53.70 61.83 0.92 16.2 2950 10.0

6.0 150.0 8.84 53.30 62.09 0.50 17.2 2600 14.0

6.5 149.6 9.54 52.70 62.24 0.25 18.4 1450 21.0

AC = % asphaIt content A = a ir v o id s i n mf x
V

V voIume of asph a I t (cuft) = s t a b i I i ty (lbs)

ac St

F
<

v o l um e of aggregate (cuft) = flo w (1 / 1 0 0 !:)

II
Q)
CQ

VMA = % v o i d s in mineral aggregate Unit weight in pcf

*S amp Ie C a I c u I at i o n s - Mi x A - (5.0 Asphalt Content)

Aggregate bulk s p e cific g ra vity = 2.65

Asphalt apparent s p e cific g ra vity = 1.02

Asphalt content = 5.0%

Average u n it weight = 149.4 pcf

.05 x 149. 4 = 7 . 4 7 lbs. asphalt

149.4 - 7.47 = 141.93 lbs. aggregate

7.47/1.02 x 62.4 + 142.5/2.65 x 62.4 = 6 0 .8 4 /6 2 .4 cuft

(1.00 - 60.84/62.4) x 100 = 4.13% air void s

(62.4 - 60.84/62.4 + (7.47/1.02 x 6.24) = 8.90 cuft voids in m i n e r a l

aggregate

8.90/(142.5/2.65) = . 166 x 100 = 16.6% v o i d s in m ineral aggregate

 23

C. ResuIts«

Test re su lts are presented in t h e man n er recommended by The

(11)
Asphalt In s titu te w ith the fiv e basic properties plotted as a

function of the asphalt content. These test property curves have

been found to fo llo w a reasonably consisten t pattern in the case of

d e n se graded bitum inous m ixes. D efin ite trends have been noted and

are o u tlin e d as follow s:

1. The s ta b ility valu es increase w ith increasing asphalt content

up to a maximum a f t e r which the s ta b ility decreases.

2. The flo w value in cre ase s w ith increasing asphalt content.

3. T he curve for the u nit weight of total mix is s im ila r to

the s ta b ility surve, except that the maximum u n i t weight

norm ally (but not always) occurs at a s lig h tly h igh er asphalt

content Than t h e maximum s t a b i l i t y .

4. The percent of a ir voids in the compacted mi x decreases with

increasing asphalt content, u ltim a te ly approaching a mi nimum

vo i d c on ten t .

5. As the asphalt content increase t he percent voids in the

m ineral aggregate ge n e ra lly decrease to a minimum v a l u e ,

then increase.

T he o p t i mu m asphalt content is obtained from the data by a v e r a g i n g

the asphalt contents w hich y ie ld the fo llo w in g :

1. Maximum s t a b i l i t y .

2. Maximum u n i t w eight.

3. 4% a i r voids.
 24

The other two m i x properties (flow and v o i d s in the m in e ra l aggregate)

are not used in d eterm in in g th e o pt i mu m a s p h a l t content; however, they

are very important in determ ining the s u i t a b i l i t y of the b itu m in o u s mix.

The resu lts of the test mixes are presented in tab u lar form showing

the average p ro perties of s ix specimens at e ac h asphalt content. It

should be n o t e d that t he C M i x e s required a somewhat lower o pt i mu m

asphalt content than t he F Mixes to a tta in the d esired mix p ro p erties

(Table II). The coarse mixes g e n e ra lly had h i g h e r u nit w eights and

s lig h tly lower s ta b ility valu es than the fin e r F M ixes. The a ir voids

and v o i d s in the mineral aggregate of the coarser C M ix e s were found

to be lower th an those for the F Mixes.

The ta b u la tio n s shown in the fo llo w in g tables are for th e C M i x e s

an d the F Mixes c om p u t e d for a range of asphalt contents necessary to

determine t h e o p t i mu m v a l u e s for each mix (Tables V and V I ) . A legend

for the c ol u mn headings and s a m p l e c a lc u la tio n s are shown w i t h Table

IV.
 25

table V

TEST PROPERTI ES OF BITUMINOUS MIXES - "C" MIXES

V
ac
+

> ^
UNIT %
V V V
MIX AC WT VMA St F

<
ac aq aq

C1 3.5 148.7 5.10 54.10 59.20 5.14 15.3 3600 10

4.0 149.7 5.89 54.20 60.09 3.70 15.1 3800 11

4.5 150.8 6.65 54.35 61.00 2.24 14.8 2600 14

5.0 151.7 7.44 54.45 61.89 0.82 14.8 1970 16

5.5 152.1 8 . 21 54.20 6 2. 41 0 15.1 1500 21

6.0 151.2 8.90 54.70 62.60 0 16.5 1400 30

C2 3.5 145.0 4.98 52.70 57.68 7.6 1 8. 4 1600 7.5

4.0 148.2 5.82 53.70 59.52 4.6 16.2 1750 8.3

4.5 150.1 6.63 54.10 60.73 2.7 15.3 1700 9.2

5.0 150.8 7.39 54.00 61.39 1.6 1 5. 5 1300 14.0

5.5 147.5 8.07 53.30 61.37 1.7 17.0 1100 16.0

6.0 148.0 8.72 53.50 61.22 1.9 1 8. 8 — —

C3 4.5 148.5 6.55 53.50 60.06 3.77 16.6 3200 5.0

5.0 151.2 7.41 54.20 6 1. 61 1.27 15.1 3575 12.0

5.5 151.0 8.14 53.80 61.94 0.74 16.0 2300 14.0

6.0 150.0 8.82 53.20 62.02 0 . 61 17.3 1700 1 7. 0

C4 3.5 145.0 4.93 52.70 57.68 7.50 1 8. 4 2100 8.0

4.0 147.8 5.80 53.50 59.30 4.96 16.6 2200 10.0

4.5 150.2 6.64 54.10 60.74 2.66 15.3 2400 12.0

5.0 1 49 . 7 7.34 53.70 61.04 2.18 16.2 1800 15.0

C5 4.5 145.1 6 . 41 52.30 5 3. 71 5.90 19.6 1550 10

5.0 147.2 7.24 52.70 59.94 3.95 18.4 1680 11

5.5 147.9 7.97 52.80 60.77 2.62 1 8. 5 1500 13

6.0 147.0 8.65 52.20 60.35 2.48 19.6 1200 15

 26

table VI

TEST PROPE RTI E S OF BITUMINOUS MIXES - "F" MIXES

V
ac
+
UNIT %

<
V V V
MIX AC WT ac aq aq VMA St _ F __

>
F1 5.0 145.5 7.14 52.20 59.34 4.90 19.6 2600 10.0
5.5 147.4 7.95 52.60 60.55 2.96 18.6 2850 23.0

6.0 147.9 8.70 52.50 61.20 1.92 18.9 3050 17.5

6.5 147.5 9.41 52.00 6 1. 41 1.59 20.0 1 800 26.0

F2 4.5 146.6 6.46 52.80 59.26 5.04 22.0 2750 5.0

5.0 147.2 7.24 52.70 59.94 3.94 18.4 4100 6.0

5.5 148.0 7.97 52.72 60.69 2.74 18.3 3800 7.5

6.0 148.7 8.75 52.68 61.43 1.55 18.4 2800 10.0

6.5 148.7 9.50 52.40 61.90 0.80 19.1 2100 1 2. 0

7.0 146.0 10.02 51.20 61.22 0.45 20.4 —

F3 4.0 142.5 5.59 51.60 57.19 9.10 21.0 — 5.0

4.5 145.4 6.43 52.40 53.83 6.08 19.0 3000 6.5

5.0 146.5 7.19 52.60 59.79 4.37 13.6 3500 7.0

5.5 147.8 7.97 52.70 60.67 2.85 18.4 4050 8.5

6.0 149.0 8.75 52.30 61.55 1.36 18.2 3500 13.0

6.5 150.4 9.59 53.00 62.59 0 18.1 2900 21 . 0

7.0 149.5 10.25 52.40 62.65 0 19.6 —

F4 5.0 142.3 6.97 51.10 58.07 7.45 22. 1 2200 10.5

6.0 143.8 7.98 51.2 59.18 5.44 21.9 3000 11.3

6.5 145.4 9.26 51.30 60.46 3. 11 21.8 3400 12.0

7.0 147.5 10.10 51.30 61.90 1.20 20.5 3650 13.0

7.5 148.5 10. 91 51.85 62.76 0 21.0 4200 14.0

8.0 147.2 11.55 51.10 62.65 0 22.6 3400 16.0

F5 6.0 145.0 8.55 51.50 60.05 3.76 21.2 2200 8.0

6.5 145.6 9.30 51.40 60.70 2.72 21.4 2700 8.5

7.0 146.1 10.00 51.20 61.20 1.92 21.8 3375 9.0

7.5 146.5 10.75 51.15 61.90 0.80 22.0 2300 10.0

8.0 146.0 11.42 50.70 62.12 0.45 23.0 _____ 12.0

 27

IV. DISCUSSION

A. G eneral.

The use of gap g r a d e d aggregate in bitum inous mixes w ould be of

great economic importance in cases where it is d iffic u lt t o meet recom­

mended lim its or in lo c a litie s where there is a natural gap graded ag­

gregate a v a ila b le which could be used w i t h o u t m o difica tio n . It is

also p o ssib le to use gap g ra d a tion to overcome the problem of having

in su fficie n t void s in the m i n e r a l aggregate.

The g radation in the control m i x was c o m p ar e d to a g radation com-

( 12 )
puted using T a lb o t’ s Form ula which gives t h e maximum th e o re tica l

den sity. The curve for the control mix e s s e n tia lly p a ra lle ls the

Talbot curve w ith 5% t o 10% h ig h e r valu es at each siz e d esig n a tio n .

The coarser gra da tio n provides the voids in the m in e ra l aggregate

necessary for bitum inous mixes.

The test m ix es were gap graded at in te rv a ls in the range from the

No. 4 to th e No. 40 fra ctio n s w ith the wasted fra ctio n s com p risin g 20%

to 50% o f the total aggregate w eight. T he s ta b ility and density of

the mixes were found to have the high est values when the voids in t he

mineral aggregate were the lowest (Figures 4 through 1 1 ).

As m e n t i o n e d p re viou sly it was found that a high er asphalt con­

tent is required to a ttain the d esira b le p ro p erties for a s a tis fa cto ry

mix in the F Mixes than in the C M ixes. T his is due to the hig h er

vo id s in the m in e ra l aggregate or as described in th e s u r f a c e area

method, more area that must be c o a t e d w ith asphalt (Figu res 10 and

1 ). It was also found that the C M i x e s g e n e ra lly produced high er

 28

pcf
U nit Weight,

Asphalt Content, Percent of Total M ix

F IGURE 4. U N I T WEIGHT R E LA TI O N S H IP S _ C MIXES

pcf
U n it Weight,

FIGURE 5. UNIT WEIGHT RELATIONSHIPS - F MIXES

 29

Pounds
S ta b ility ,
Marshall

F IGURE 6. MARSHALL S T A B I L I T Y R E L A T I O N SH I P S _ C MI XE S

5000
Pounds

4000
S ta b ility ,

3000

2 0 0 0 j-
Marshall

1000 !-

0 i.
3y 4 4i 5 5i 6 65 7 7^ 8 85

Asphalt Content, Percent of Total Mix

F IGURE 7. MARSHALL STABILITY RELATIONSHIPS _ F MI XE S

 30

FIGURE 8. VOIDS IN TOTAL M I X RELATIONSHIPS _ C MIXES

CO

o
I—
CD
JZ

to
"O
o
>

c
o
o
V-
CD
Q_

Asphalt Content, Percent of Total Mix

FIGURE 9. VOIDS IN TOTAL MIX RELATIONSHIPS - F MIXES

 31

Aggregate
in M in e ra l
Percent V o id s

FIGURE 10. VOIDS IN MINERAL AGGREGATE CURVES _ C MI XES

Aggregate
in M in e ra l
Percent Voids

FIGURE 11. VOIDS IN MINERAL AGGREGATE CURVES _ F MIXES

 32

u nit weights and lower s ta b ilitie s w ith lower o pt i mu m a s p h a l t contents

than the F M ixes. T his would be e x p e c t e d in view of the large amount

of coarse aggregate in the C M i x e s which account for th e high unit

weight. The h i g h e r concentration of fille r m aterial in th e F Mixes

produce h igh er s ta b ility values. The d ifferen ce s in den sity of these

mixes are re fle cte d in the voids in the m in e r a l aggregate (Figures 10

and 11).

B. C M ixes.

It was observed in Mix C1 that when t h e No. 10 fra ctio n was

wasted and d i s t r i b u t e d to the 1/2 inch and No. 4 fra ctio n s, the unit

weight and s t a b i l i t y increased s ig n ific a n tly a b ov e the valu es of the

control mix (Figures 4 and 6 ) . The increased u nit w eight resu lted

from the s u b s titu tio n of coarse p a rtic le s with low v o i d s in the min­

eral aggregate for the s m a lle r No. 10 f r a c t i o n . It is also b elie ve d

that t h e No. 10 fra ctio n causes b ulk in g of the Iarger p a rtic le s

thereby decreasing the u nit w eight. It was also noted that t he

maximum s t a b i l i t y occurred at a much lower asphalt content (4%)

than did t h e maximum u n i t weight ( 5. 4%) . T he high s ta b ility is due

to the fric tio n in the increased coarse fra ctio n caused by the coarse

p a rtic le s not being fu lly coated w ith asphalt. The e x ce lle n t in te r­

lock of the p a rtic le s add to the high s ta b ility . The u nit weight in ­

creases past the 4% a s p h a l t content necessary for maximum s t a b i l i t y

sin ce the v o i d s continue t o be fille d w ith asphalt u n til a ll t he

void s are fille d and the asphalt begins to force the p a r t i c l e s apart

(Figure 8). The increase in asphalt content also lu b ric a te s the par­

ticle s allo w in g them to attain a more p r e f e r a b l e o rie n ta tio n thereby

 33

increasing the u nit w eight. T h is lu b ric a tio n or co atin g of the par­

ticle s with a th icke r film of asphalt also reduces the fric tio n be­

tween the p a rtic le s causin g the decrease in s ta b ility . The high u n it

weight and s t a b i l i t y are d e sira b le ch a ra cte ristics of a bitum inous

mix if there are s u ffic ie n t a ir voids in t he compacted mix to prevent

ru ttin g or bleeding of the p av eme nt (Figu re 8). T h is mix w o u ld n o t

be e x p e c t e d to perform s a t i s f a c t o r i l y because of the very l ow v o i d s

in the m in e r a l aggregate which does not provide s u ffic ie n t space for

t he asphalt content and a ir voids (Figu res 8 and 1 0 ) .

The gap in the g r a d a t i o n i n M i x C2 was p r o d u c e d by w a s t i n g the

No. 40 f r a c t i o n with the re su ltin g g radation curve fa llin g s lig h tly

below the curve for Mixes A and C1 and w i t h the amount of coarse ag­

gregate com prisin g 80% o f the aggregate weight (Table III). In M i x

C2 the h i g h concen tration of coarse aggregate provided a higher u n it

weight th an was determined for the control mix. However, the lack

of interm ediate siz e p a rtic le s did not provide the in terlo ck and

fric tio n necessary to p r o d u c e the h ig h s ta b ility found in M ixes A

and C1, nor does it provide s u ffic ie n t fin e p a rtic le s to fill the

voids in the coarse aggregate (Figures 4 and 6 ) . The asphalt con­

tent required f o r maximum s t a b i l i t y (4.2%) and maximum u n i t w eight

(4.9%) was considerably lower t han for eith e r Mix A or M ix C1 be­

cause of the large amount of coarse aggregate. However, Mix C2

could be e x p e c t e d to p e r f o r m in about the same manner as the con­

trol mix because of the s im ila r ch a ra cte ristics of t he m i x .

T h e g ap in t he g r a d a t i o n in M i x C3 was a c c o m p l i s h e d by w a s t i n g

t h e No. 4 fra ctio n which did not a lte r the total amount o f the coarse
 34

aggregate fra ctio n s. The re su ltin g g ra da tion contained a large amount

of the 1/2 inch fra ctio n and was such that a very high den sity was o b ­

tained in the compacted mix. T he high density was a r e s u l t of the

p a rtic le s having a more preferred o rie n ta tio n w it h the e l i m i n a t i o n

of the No . 4 fra ctio n which resu lted in high density and s t a b i l i t y

(Figures 4 and 6 ) . The v o i d s in the m in e ra l aggregate were l o w and

the asphalt content was about the same as fo r Mix A with all the test

p ro p erties for the two m i x e s comparable (Figure 10).

The gradation for Mix C4 h ad a Iarger gap in the g radation than

M i x e s C 1 , C2 and C3 s i n c e there were two f r a c t i o n s wasted, the No. 4

and t he No. 10. However, the gap in gra da tion was c o n f i n e d to t he

coarse aggregate fraction with a ll th e p a rtic le s of the 1/2 inch

s iz e . Since t h e r e were in su fficie n t fin e s to fill th e large percent­

age o f voids created by the large gap in the gradation , the unit

weight was lower than for Mixes C 1 , C2 and C3. T he u nit w eight of

M i x C4 was approxim ately t h e same as that of Mix A although the m a x i ­

mum i s reached at a lower asphalt content because 60% o f the p a rtic le s

were o f the 1/2 inch size (Figures 4 and 6).

The g r a d a t i o n for Mix C5 h ad the largest gap in the gradation of

a|I C Mixes and included p a rtic le s f rom b o t h the coarse and fin e ag­

gregate. T he w a s t i n g of both the No. 10 and No. 40 fra ctio n s and in ­

creasing the c o a r s e aggregate by t he same amount caused the mi x to

have in su fficie n t fin e s to fill the v oid s, thereby causin g lower

density and s t a b i l i t y th an was found in the other C Mixes (Figures

4 and 6). The high asphalt content necessary to p roduce the d e s ir­

able ch a ra cte ristics in th is mix was n e c e s s a r y to fill the high vo id s

 35

in the mineral aggregate (Figure 10). Although M i x C5 h ad the same

percentage of coarse aggregate as M i x C2 the gap in the gradation was

much Iarger and the w e ig h t of the wasted fra ctio n s were d i s t r i b u t e d

over a much w i d e r range i n M i x C5 c a u s i n g a decrease in u n i t weight

and a c o r r e s p o n d -! ng increase in the required asphalt content.

C. F M ixes.

The F Mixes we r e prepared by h o l d i n g the 1/2 inch fra ctio n con­

stant w h ile w asting or varying the other fra ctio n s in the gra da tion ,

re su ltin g in a wide v a r i e t y of blends. T he g r e a t e r amounts of fin e s

and t he re su ltin g high vo id s in the m in e ra l aggregate resu lted in a

hig h er o pt i mu m a s p h a l t contents for the F Mixes than for the C M ixes

(Table II and F i g u r e s 10 and 1 1 ) .

The gradation f o r M ix F1 was re la tiv e ly low in the coarse aggre­

gate fra ctio n because of t he e l i m i n a t i o n of the No. 10 f r a c t i o n . The

a d d itio n al weight in the fin e aggregate and f i l l e r increased t he voids

in the m in e ra l aggregate re su ltin g in a lower u nit weight than the value

found f o r Mix A (Figure 5). The bulk in g action of the fin e aggregate,

which comprised 51% o f the blend, was another factor causing the l owe r

u nit w eight. The increase of the fille r in M ix F1 p r o v i d e d more sur­

face area and therefore more fric tio n a l resistance which offsets the

loss in s ta b ility caused by the decrease in the c o a r s e aggregate. The

asphalt content necessary to o b t a i n t h e maximum d e n s i t y was approxi­

m ately t h e same (5.8%) as thatnecessary to produce maximum s t a b i l i t y

(Figure 7).

M ix F2 was p r e p a r e d using an a g g r e g a t e gradation w ith the No . 40

fra ctio n wasted w hich allow ed the c o a rs e aggregate fra ctio n to r e m a i n

 36

the same as M i x A w h ile the m ineral fille r was increased to 12%. The

u n it w eight of th is mix was not as high as the control mix s in c e there

were not e no u g h fin e p a rtic le s to fill the v o id s in the coarse aggre­

gate. The s t a b i l i t y of Mix F2 was very h ig h because of the combined

effects of the increased m ineral fille r and the re la tiv e ly large

a mo u n t s of coarse aggregate. The asphalt content necessary to pro­

duce the maximum s t a b i l i t y (5%) was lower than the asphalt content

necessary to produce t h e maximum u n i t w eight. T he maximum s t a b i l i t y

was produced when t he maximum in te rp a rtic l e fric tio n was developed

w hich occurred before the asphalt film be c ame th ick enough to allo w

the p a rtic le s to a tta in th e ir most preferred o rie n ta tio n (Figu res 5

and 7) .

The observation s made for M ix F3 were g e n e ra lly the same as those

made for Mix F1. Ho w e v e r , Mix F3 had a h ig h er u nit w eight and sta­

b ility th an M i x F1 or M ix A. The hig h er u nit w eight was a re su lt

of the e lim in a tio n of any p o s s ib ility of b u lk in g in the coarse ag­

gregate sin ce the 1/ 2 inch p a rtic le s w ill almost "flo a t in the w e l l

graded fin e r p a rtic le s . The h ig h s ta b ility was a re su lt of the large

amount of surface area w hich produced h ig h fric tio n a l resista n ce.

The g ra da tio n for M ix F4 contain ed o n ly 10% c o a r s e aggregate

sin ce the No . 4 and the No. 10 fra ctio n s were wasted. Flowever, the

fin e aggregate and the m in e ra l fille r were increased to 77% and 13%

re sp e ctiv e ly . The u n it w eight was lower and had a much h ig h e r optimum

asp h alt content than M i x A because of the large incre ase in surface

area- The high asphalt content was necessary to a llo w the p a rtic le s

to a tta in the fin a l o rie n ta tio n . Because of the nature of the

 37

gra da tion of Mix F4 the s ta b ility was a resu lt of the combined effects

of cohesion and in te rp a rtic Ie fric tio n .

The g radation for M ix F5 had an u n u s u a l l y large amount of m ineral

fille r which resu lted in a very high v a lu e for v o id s in the m ineral ag­

gregate and a correspondingIy low d ensity. The s ta b ility of t h e m i x was

comparable to that of Mix F1, and although there was an e x c e s s of fille r

in the m ix there was s u f f i c i e n t coarse and fin e aggregate to give good

in terlo ck in g action necessary for the high s ta b ility .

T he fIow value should be w i t h i n r ecommended lim its in a ll of the

mixes. It was found that the flo w value at or near op t imu m asphalt

content was w ithin the lim its (8-18) recommended by The Asphalt In s ti­

tute (Figures 12 and 13).

 38

Flow, 1/100 Inch

Asphalt Content, Percent of Total Mix

FIGURE 12. FLOW RELATIONSHIPS _ C MIXES

I nc h
1/100
l ow,

FIGURE 13. FLOW RELATIONSHIPS - F MIXES

 39

V. CONCLUSIONS

From t h e accum ulation of data and the a n aly sis thereof, as p r e ­

sented in th is th esis several co n clu sio n s can be d ra wn .

Gap g r a d a t i o n of t he aggregate h ave d e fin ite effects on th e test

properties of bitum inous mixes depending on the size and location of

the gap in the g radation .

It is p o ssib le to c o n t r o l the vo id s in the m i n e r a l aggregate to

a s ig n ific a n t extent by u s e of gap g r a d a t i o n in th e aggregate.

C ertain aggregate com binations cause a bulking effect which re­

su lts in a corresponding loss in u nit weight and s t a b i l i t y . The e f ­

fects of gra da tion on u n i t weight and s t a b i l i t y are more pronounced

in a gap g r a d e d aggregate th an in a u niform ly graded aggregate.

The asphalt content required for maximum s t a b i l i t y and u n i t

weight was lower for t he C Mixes t han for the F M i x e s .

In the gap graded m ixes the asphalt content is more s e n s i t i v e

to m i n o r changes than in a u niform ly g raded mix.

 40

VI. RECOMMENDATIONS

T he results of th is in v e stig a tio n in d ica te that further study be

made in the fo llo w in g areas.

A study be made o f gap g r a d e d aggregate h oldin g the fille r con­

stant an d v a r y i n g the c o a r s e aggregate from 10% to 70% u s i n g 10% i n ­

crements. T he aggregate should be gap g r a d e d by w a s t i n g a fra ctio n

or com bination of fraction s retained on the No. 4, No. 10 and/or th e

No. 40 s i e v e . A series of gra da tion s should be made u s i n g g ap graded

aggregate by w a s t i n g t h e No. 4, No. 10 a n d / o r t h e No. 40 fra ctio n s or

com binations thereof, and h o l d i n g th e coarse aggregate constant w h ile

varying the m i n e r a l fille r f r o m 0% t o 20% in increments of 5%.

An in v e stig a tio n should be made to determ ine the g r a d a t i o n range

and p a r t i c l e s iz e that w ill cause b ulk in g of the aggregate and the use

of bulking to improve the v o i d s in the m i n e r a l aggregate w ithout a p­

p re ciab le loss in s ta b ility .

The p re se n t project should be e x t e n d e d to in v e stig a te the fe a si­

b ility of using a gap graded n a tu r a l aggregate as the m i n e r a l aggregate

in a s ta b iliz e d bas e course.

 41

B IB L I OGR AP H Y

1. ASPHALT. Magazine o f T he A s p h a l t I n s t i t u t e ( O c t o b e r 1963), p. 2,

S ta n fo rd Research I n s t i t u t e .

2. STANFORD RESEARCH INSTITUTE. E c o n o m i c s o f A s p h a l t and C o n c r e t e

f o r Highway C o n s t r u c t i o n , R e p o r t s (1961).

3. MONISMITH, C. L., (1 9 6 1 ), A s p h a l t P a v i n g M i x t u r e s , The I n s t i t u t e

o f T r a n s p o r t a t i o n and T r a f f i c E n g i n e e r i n g ,
U n i v e r s i t y o f C a l i f o r n i a , p . 76.

4. THE ASPHALT INSTITUTE. S p e c ific a tio n s and C o n s t r u c t i o n Methods

f o r Hot M ix A s p h a l t P a v i n g , S p e c i f i c a t i o n
S e r i e s No. 1, ( 1 9 6 0 ) , p. 15.

5. U. S. CORPS OF ENGINEERS WATER EXPERI MENT S T AT IO N. Techn ical

Memorandum No. 3 - 2 5 4 , ( 1 9 4 8 ) .

6. McLEOD, N. W ., ( 1 9 5 8 ) , R e l a t i o n s h i p B et we e n D e n s i t y , B i t u m e n
C o n t e n t and V o i d s P r o p e r t i e s o f C o m p a c t e d
B it u m i n o u s P a v i n g M i x t u r e s , Highway R e s e a r c h
B o a r d , Vo I . 3 5.

7. HUDSON, S. B ., ( 1 9 5 8 ) , P r a c t i c a l G r a d a t i o n L i m i t s f o r N a t u r a l Ag­
g r e g a t e B i t u m i n o u s C o n c r e t e , R o a d s and S t r e e t s ,
Vo I . 1 0 1 , p. 119.

8. McLEOD, N. W ., (1958), S e l e c t i n g the Ag g reg ate S p e c i f i c G r a v i t y

f o r B it u m i n o u s P a v in g M i x e s , Highway R e s e a r c h
B o a r d , Vo I . 3 6.

9. SONDEREGGER, P. E. , ( 1 9 5 6 ) , T he D e s i g n of A sp h altic Concrete Pav­

ing M i x t u r e s , R epo rt.

10. HERRIN, Moreland and GOETZ, W. H . , ( 1 9 5 4 ) , E f f e c t o f A g g r e g a t e

Shape on S t a b i l i t y o f B i t u m i n o u s M i x e s . H igh­
way R e s e a r c h B o a r d , V o l . 3 3 , p. 2 9 3 .

11. THE ASPHALT INSTITUTE. M ix Design Methods f o r A s p h a l t i c Concrete,

M an ua l S e r i e s No. 2 ( 1 9 6 2 ) .

12. SPANGLER, M. G., (1951), S o i l s E n g in e e r in g , I n t e r n a t io n a l Textbook

C ompany, S c r a n t o n , P e n n s y l v a n i a , p. 46.
 42

VITA

M aurice Loren Northcutt was born on May 2 1 , 1 928, at Gorgas,

Alabama. He r e c e i v e d h is prim ary and s e c o n d a r y education in the

P u b lic Schools of Gorgas and P a r r i s h , Alabama. He r e c e i v e d a Bach­

e lo r of B u ild in g C on stru ctio n Degree from Auburn U n i v e r s i t y , form erly

Alabama P o ly te ch n ic In s titu te , in 1949.

He s e r v e d for two y e a r s as a high school a th le tic coach before

e n terin g m ilita ry serv ice in 1951 as a Lieutenant in the Corps of

Engineers. In 1954 he returned to c i v i l i a n status as an E n g i n e e r

for Alabama P o w e r Company and la te r R ep u b lic Steel C orporation u n til

1957 when he reentered m ilita ry service a n d was integrated into the

R egu lar Army and presently h old s th e rank of Major.

On b e i n g assigned to t he M i s s o u r i School of Mines and M e t a l l u r g y

as A ssistant Professor of M ilita ry Science in 1960, he began a program

of study lead ing to a B achelor of Science Degree in C iv il En ginee rin g,

w hich he r e c e i v e d in August 1963. He w a s sele cte d to remain at th is

in s titu tio n to pursue a course of study leading to a Master of S cie nce

Degree in C i v i l En gineering.

Major Northcutt is m arried to the form er W a lt r a u t Schuett of

K arlsru he, Ger man y. They have one daughter, Linda and two sons,

Je ffrey Duane and R i c h a r d Vernon.