PBW 401: Highway and Airports

Engineering I
Part B: Structural Design of Highway
Pavement
(Lecture 5)
By Fall 2020
Dr. Eng. Elhashemi Ali Academic Year (2020 –2021)

1
Lecture 5: Asphalt Mix Construction and Performance
❑ Asphalt Concrete Mix Construction

❑ Flexible Pavement Distress

❑ Performance Tests on Asphalt Mix
➢ Asphalt Pavement Analyzer (APA)
➢ HMA Beam Fatigue Test
➢ Quality Control Tests

DR. ELHASHEMI ALI 2

Lecture 5: Asphalt Mix Construction and Performance Tests

Asphalt Concrete Mix Construction

DR. ELHASHEMI ALI 3

Asphalt Concrete Mix Construction
❑ Stages of Asphalt Concert Mix Construction:
• HMA Plant Operation
• Hauling
• Placement
• Compaction

❑ Causes of Construction Problems:

Most of the construction problems that are observed in HMA
pavements are related to one of the following issues:
• Insufficient Compaction (Low Density)
• Segregation (non-uniform density)

DR. ELHASHEMI ALI 4

Asphalt Concrete Mix Construction
❑ Compaction Equipment

DR. ELHASHEMI ALI 5

Asphalt Concrete Mix Construction
❑ Types of Segregation
1. Gradation segregation
It is the non-uniform distribution of coarse and fine aggregate
materials in the finished HMA mat

Localized mat areas rich in coarse aggregate are typically

associated with high air voids and low asphalt contents; these
conditions can lead to moisture damage as well as to fatigue
cracking

In opposition, mat areas rich in fine aggregate are associated with

low air voids and high asphalt contents, making them susceptible to
rutting and bleeding
DR. ELHASHEMI ALI 6
Asphalt Concrete Mix Construction
❑ Types of Segregation
1. Gradation segregation

DR. ELHASHEMI ALI 7

Asphalt Concrete Mix Construction
❑ Types of Segregation
2. Thermal segregation:
It occurs as the result of
differential cooling of
portions of the mix on the
surface of the mix in the
haul truck.

DR. ELHASHEMI ALI 8

Asphalt Concrete Mix Construction
❑ Types of Segregation
2. Thermal segregation:
Solution: Use the Material
Transfer Vehicle MTV to
minimize aggregate
segregation and temperature
differentials
https://pavementinteractive.org/reference-
desk/construction/placement/material-transfer-vehicles/

DR. ELHASHEMI ALI 9

Asphalt Concrete Mix Construction
❑ Types of Segregation
3. Aggregate-Asphalt Segregation
It is not a problem in the dense grade mixtures. However, it is
common in stone-matrix asphalts (SMAs)

***Note: Stone-Matrix Asphalt is used to improve rut resistance and durability

DR. ELHASHEMI ALI 10

Lecture 5: Asphalt Mix Construction and Performance

❑ Flexible Pavement Distress

❑ Performance Tests on Asphalt Concrete Mix

DR. ELHASHEMI ALI 11

Flexible Pavement Distress

Rutting Bleeding

Shoving Fatigue / Cracking

DR. ELHASHEMI ALI 12

Flexible Pavement Distress
❑ Rutting:
Is the development of depressions in the pavement surface along
the wheel paths, typically with a width of several decimeters and a
length of tens to thousands of meters

DR. ELHASHEMI ALI 13

Flexible Pavement Distress
❑ Types of Rutting:
1. Primary Rutting
• Is due to permanent deformation of bituminous layers
• Permanent deformation can be due to “post” compaction and/or
weakness “instability” of the asphalt
2. Secondary Rutting
• Is due to permanent deformation in the subgrade or in granular
layers below the asphalt layers.

DR. ELHASHEMI ALI 14

Flexible Pavement Distress
❑ Cracking can be subdivided into two broad categories: load
associated cracking and non-load associated cracking
❑ Load associated cracking has traditionally been called fatigue
cracking

DR. ELHASHEMI ALI 15

Performance Tests
❑ Asphalt Pavement Analyzer (APA)
Is a multi-function Asphalt Wheel Tracker for the accurate
evaluation of rutting and moisture susceptibility of hot and cold
asphalt mixes

https://www.globalgilson.com/asphalt-pavement-analyzer-apa

DR. ELHASHEMI ALI 16

Performance Tests
❑ Flexural Fatigue - HMA Beam Fatigue Test
The beam fatigue test provides a measure of the fatigue life and fatigue
energy of HMA pavements.

Parameters Measured from Beam Fatigue Test:

▪ Maximum tensile stress
▪ Maximum tensile strain
▪ Flexural stiffness
▪ Phase angle
▪ Dissipated energy per cycle
▪ Cumulative dissipated energy
▪ Initial stiffness
▪ Number of cycles to failure
▪ Cumulative dissipated energy to failure

https://pavementinteractive.org/reference-desk/testing/pavement-tests/flexural-fatigue/

DR. ELHASHEMI ALI 17

Quality Control Tests
During Construction to ensure quality
For Soil (Agg.) Layers:
1-Sand cone test (γd )
2- Core-Cutter test (γd )
3- Volumenometer test (γd )
4- Aggregate Gradation
5- Core samples (for thickness)
6- Straight Edge

For Asphalt mix layers:

1- Extraction Test (%A.C.)
2- Aggregate Gradation
3- Core samples (for thickness)
4- Bulk density (γm )
5- Straight Edge

DR. ELHASHEMI ALI 18

Quality Control Tests
❑ Extraction Test
A quality Control Test used to separate asphalt cement from an asphalt
mix to determine :
- % A.C.
- Aggregate Gradation

Samples are taken as :

1- Core Samples after construction
2- Loose mix during construction
3- Loose mix from asphalt mix plant

DR. ELHASHEMI ALI 19

Quality Control Tests
❑ Core Sample Thickness

Wearing surface Wearing surface

Wearing surface

Aggregate gradation varies Binder course Binder course

among the three asphalt
layers.

- Blending of: Macadam course

• 2 ‫سن‬ (asphalt base
• 1 ‫سن‬ course)
• Natural sand
• Crushed sand
• filler Truck Traffic+++

DR. ELHASHEMI ALI 20