This article was downloaded by: [University of Hong Kong Libraries]

On: 12 March 2013, At: 22:22

Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House,
37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK

International Journal of Pavement Engineering

Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information:
http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/gpav20

Modelling linear viscoelastic properties of asphalt

concrete by the Huet–Sayegh model
a b
Qinwu Xu & Mansour Solaimanian
a
Department of Civil Engineering, Penn State University, Austin, TX, USA
b
PTI, Penn State University, University Park, PA, USA
Version of record first published: 28 Oct 2009.

To cite this article: Qinwu Xu & Mansour Solaimanian (2009): Modelling linear viscoelastic properties of asphalt concrete by
the Huet–Sayegh model, International Journal of Pavement Engineering, 10:6, 401-422

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10298430802524784

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE

Full terms and conditions of use: http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions

This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic
reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to
anyone is expressly forbidden.

The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents
will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae, and drug doses should
be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims,
proceedings, demand, or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in
connection with or arising out of the use of this material.
 International Journal of Pavement Engineering
Vol. 10, No. 6, December 2009, 401–422

Modelling linear viscoelastic properties of asphalt concrete by the Huet – Sayegh model
Qinwu Xua and Mansour Solaimanianb*
a
Department of Civil Engineering, Penn State University, Austin, TX, USA; bPTI, Penn State University, University Park, PA, USA
(Received 31 May 2007; final version received 26 September 2008)

In order to seek an appropriate mechanical model to describe the complex modulus and characterise the linear viscoelastic
property of asphalt concrete, the Huet – Sayegh model was studied in this research. Laboratory tests of complex modulus
were conducted on 20 different mixtures. Several mechanical models (Maxwell, Kelvin, generalised Maxwell, generalised
Kelvin and Huet – Sayegh) and the mathematical model of sigmoidal function were applied to establish master curves of
dynamic moduli. Results indicate that the Huet –Sayegh model can describe complex modulus more accurately using fewer
numbers of parameters compared with other mechanical models.
Downloaded by [University of Hong Kong Libraries] at 22:22 12 March 2013

Keywords: complex modulus; mechanical models; Huet – Sayegh model; master curve

1. Introduction Similarly, the corresponding strain response is

Asphalt concrete is a viscoelastoplastic material and its expressed as
behaviour is temperature and time dependent. Within a
small strain level (i.e. at high frequency and low 1 ¼ 10 eiðvt2wÞ ; ð2Þ
temperature), it may exhibit the linear viscoelastic
where w is the phase angle representing the time that the
behaviour without damage. Complex modulus test is
strain lags the stress (Figure 1).
conducted at very small strain levels, and therefore it is
believed that the material will not undergo noticeable tL
damage. The complex modulus test is one of the primary w¼ £ 360 ð8Þ; ð3Þ
tC
simple performance tests used to characterise the linear
viscoelastic property and evaluate the fundamental stress – where tL is the time lag of strain to stress and tC is the time
strain relationship of asphalt concrete (Witczak and for one cycle test.
Fonseca 1996, Bonaquist et al. 2003, Witczak 2005). The complex modulus has been defined as (Huang
The complex modulus is also used as input in the 2004):
mechanistic-empirical models for evaluating the field
s s0 i f
pavement response and performance (Hallin 2004, E * ðvÞ ¼ ¼ e ¼ E 0 þ iE 00 ; ð4Þ
1 10
El-Basyouny and Witczak 2005, El-Basyouny et al. 2007).
In the laboratory testing procedure, the sinusoidal where E 0 is the storage modulus (considered as elastic part)
loading is applied to the cylindrical asphalt concrete and E 00 is the loss modulus (considered as viscous part).
specimen at a range of frequencies and temperatures. The The dynamic modulus is the absolute value of complex
strain response also follows a sinusoidal function similar modulus, calculated by the ratio of stress amplitude to
to the applied stress. However, a time lag exists between strain amplitude (Huang 2004).
stress and strain due to the viscoelastic behaviour of the
material, as shown in Figure 1. s0
jE * j ¼ : ð5Þ
The testing mode can be either stress or strain 10
controlled, producing the related response of strain or
stress. This sinusoidal function of input stress could be Because of the laboratory testing limitations, the complex
expressed in a complex format (Huang 2004) modulus tests are typically conducted within a limited
range of temperatures and frequencies. However, char-
s ¼ s 0 e i vt ; ð1Þ acterising asphalt concrete viscoelastic property and
predicting pavement structure response and performance
where i is the imaginary unit (i2 ¼ 2 1) and v is the requires knowledge of modulus magnitude at a wider
angular frequency. range of temperatures and frequencies. Therefore,

*Corresponding author. Email: msol@psu.edu

ISSN 1029-8436 print/ISSN 1477-268X online
q 2009 Taylor & Francis
DOI: 10.1080/10298430802524784
http://www.informaworld.com
 402 Q. Xu and M. Solaimanian
Figure 1. Sinusoidal input stress and strain response.
Downloaded by [University of Hong Kong Libraries] at 22:22 12 March 2013
different models have been developed and proposed to fit
the measured complex modulus data and/or establish the
master curve of modulus over a wide range of frequencies.
Examples include the mathematical model of sigmoidal
function using the temperature – time superposition rule
(Chehab et al. 2002, Pellinen and Witczak 2002, Schwartz
et al. 2002), which is widely known through several
important projects, including the NCHRP 1-37A, NCHRP
9-19 and NCHRP 9-29, and the empirical Witczak
(Witczak and Fonseca 1996) and Hirsch models
(Christensen et al. 2003), which predict the mixture
modulus from binder properties and mixture volumetric
properties. Contrary to the mathematical or empirical
models, the analytical viscoelastic models have the
advantage of utilising physical elements to describe the
viscoelastic behaviour of materials. Such models include
those known as Burger, Maxwell, generalised Maxwell,
Kelvin and generalised Kelvin. Burger’s model is a simple
one capable of characterising the viscoelastic property of
the asphalt concrete, but it cannot be used for a wide range
of frequencies or temperatures (Nilsson et al. 2002).
The simple Maxwell and Kelvin models are not capable of
describing the complex behaviour of asphalt concrete
accurately. However, the generalised Maxwell and Kelvin
models can be used to characterise the viscoelastic
behaviour of asphalt concrete effectively. The former can
successfully describe the relaxation modulus and the latter
can successfully describe the creep compliance of the
materials; however, both of these models require a large
number of elements to express the modulus with
reasonable accuracy (Lytton et al. 1993, Lee 1996).
The analytical Huet – Sayegh model was proposed by Huet
(1963) for characterising the viscoelastic property of
materials. Pronk (2005) applied this model for the four-
point bending test on different asphalt mixes to accurately
fit and describe the stiffness modulus. Olard and Benedetto
(2003) extended the Huet – Sayegh model by adding one
linear dashpot in series with the two variable dashpots
to account for the ‘pseudo’ permanent deformation of
asphalt binder and mixture. This configuration of elements
was named as 2S2P1D (two springs, two variable dashpots
and one linear dashpot) model. In this article, the Huet –
Sayegh model is investigated for describing the complex
modulus of asphalt concrete in comparison with other
mechanical models.
2. Objective and scope
The work presented here was to evaluate the Huet – Sayegh
model for describing the master curve of complex modulus
and modelling the linear viscoelastic property of asphalt
concrete.
The laboratory test of complex modulus was
conducted on 20 different asphalt concrete mixtures. The
Huet – Sayegh model was used to fit the measured modulus
and construct a master curve of complex modulus. The
modelling results of master curves using different
mechanical and mathematical models are also compared.
3. Experimental program
The complex modulus tests were conducted on laboratory
prepared specimens made of 20 different asphalt concrete
mixtures representing the wearing, binder and base layers
at eight different sites within the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania. For each mixture, three to five replicates
were tested.
3.1 Specimen preparation
The mixtures had different asphalt contents, gradations
and maximum aggregate sizes. The asphalt concrete
specimens were compacted using the Superpave gyratory
compactor. The compacted specimens were then cut and
sawed to yield cylindrical specimens with the diameter of
100 mm and the height of 150 mm. The mixture and binder
properties are detailed in Table 1. The PG76-22 binders
were polymer modified while others were not.
3.2 Test equipment and procedure
As shown in Figure 2, the Instron system equipped with
the related hardware and FastTrack software was used to
control the laboratory test. The Instron system was used
as the control and data acquisition system, the MTS
closed-loop servo-hydraulic system was the load frame
and the environmental chamber was used to control
temperatures. Three extensometers were mounted on
the specimen surface with the angular spacing of 1208
to measure the axial deformation of the specimen
(Figure 2). The tests were conducted at four temperatures
of 4, 10, 25 and 408C, by applying the compressive
 Downloaded by [University of Hong Kong Libraries] at 22:22 12 March 2013

Table 1. Binder and mixture properties.

Lab# % Binder % #200 Gmb Gmm Gsb Gb Gse AV VMA VFA Pba Pbe F/A ratio Grade NMAS (mm)
M0264 5.6 6.6 2.428 2.502 2.686 1.023 2.737 7.3 14.7 79.8 0.7 4.9 0.80 PG64-22 12.5
MD216 5.0 4.8 2.454 2.555 2.739 1.032 2.770 6.6 14.9 73.5 0.4 4.6 1.02 PG64-22 19.0
M0181 3.9 5.0 2.394 2.565 2.687 1.033 2.729 5.9 14.4 53.6 0.6 3.3 0.97 PG64-22 37.5
M0272 5.4 7.2 2.438 2.468 2.644 1.022 2.685 5.9 12.8 90.5 0.6 4.8 0.90 PG76-22 12.5
M0251 4.7 4.9 2.484 2.553 2.743 1.028 2.755 7.5 13.7 80.3 0.2 4.6 1.00 PG76-22 12.5
M0237 2.8 5.3 2.474 2.542 2.643 1.031 2.654 7.0 9.0 70.3 0.2 2.6 0.90 PG64-22 25.0
M0287 5.2 6.9 2.423 2.468 2.635 1.022 2.676 6.0 12.8 85.8 0.6 4.6 0.90 PG76-22 37.5
M1255 6.7 5.3 2.295 2.349 2.522 1.032 2.586 7.0 15.5 82.4 1.0 5.8 0.60 PG76-22 9.5
M1253 4.8 5.5 2.312 2.412 2.548 1.032 2.586 7.1 13.6 69.5 0.6 4.2 0.90 PG64-22 19.0
M1241B 4.3 3.3 2.346 2.536 2.671 1.032 2.714 5.9 15.9 53.0 0.6 3.7 0.80 PG64-22 37.5
M1261 5.3 6.4 2.412 2.498 2.683 1.029 2.715 6.7 14.9 76.8 0.5 4.9 0.85 PG76-22 12.5
M1241A 4.9 6.2 2.392 2.473 2.632 1.043 2.661 7.5 13.6 75.9 0.4 4.5 1.00 PG64-22 19.0
M2167 5.0 6.2 2.297 2.457 2.625 1.037 2.648 5.5 16.9 61.4 0.3 4.7 1.16 PG76-22 12.5
M2149 4.4 5.5 2.507 2.601 2.778 1.037 2.795 5.1 13.7 73.7 0.2 4.2 0.93 PG76-22 19.0
M2302 5.2 6.4 2.453 2.500 2.675 1.031 2.712 1.8 13.1 85.6 0.5 4.7 1.00 PG64-22 19.0
M2288 3.9 6.1 2.409 2.540 2.676 1.031 2.700 4.6 13.5 61.7 0.4 3.6 1.00 PG64-22 25.0
M2256 3.9 7.9 2.458 2.509 2.647 1.031 2.664 4.7 10.8 81.1 0.2 3.7 1.10 PG64-22 37.5
M3298 5.7 7.4 2.488 2.535 2.729 1.033 2.779 7.2 14.0 86.8 0.7 5.1 1.10 PG64-22 12.5
International Journal of Pavement Engineering

M3273 5.2 8.3 2.556 2.590 2.777 1.033 2.823 6.4 12.7 89.7 0.6 4.6 1.20 PG64-22 19.0
M3254 4.9 7.0 2.500 2.634 2.832 1.033 2.863 8.9 16.0 68.3 0.4 4.5 1.20 PG64-22 25.0
403
 404 Q. Xu and M. Solaimanian
Downloaded by [University of Hong Kong Libraries] at 22:22 12 March 2013

Figure 2. Laboratory test equipment and specimen.

uniaxial sinusoidal loads at six frequencies of 0.1, 0.5, 1, 5, 4. Constructing master curve of complex modulus
10 and 25 Hz for each temperature. The applied load 4.1 Models for describing complex modulus
amplitude produced the strain amplitude of approximately
The temperature –time superposition rule of Williams –
80 –100 microstrain. The test was preceded from the
Landel – Ferry (Williams et al. 1995) can be used to
lowest temperature to the highest temperature and from
approximate the reduced frequency using shift factor aT
the highest frequency to the lowest frequency at each
temperature.
2C1 ðT 2 T r Þ
logðaT Þ ¼ and f r ¼ f £ a T ; ð6Þ
½C 2 þ ðT 2 T r Þ

3.3 Measured dynamic modulus and phase angle
The measured results of stress and strain are used to
determine the dynamic modulus and phase angle using where aT is the shift factor, f is the frequency at
temperature T and fr is the reduced frequency at reference
Equations (3) and (5). Testing data at these four temperatures
temperature Tr. The parameters of C1 and C2 are dependent
and six frequencies for each mix results in 24 values
on the reference temperature.
for modulus and phase angle. As shown in Figures 3 and 4,
The mathematical model of sigmoidal function can be
with increasing temperature or decreasing frequency,
used to express the dynamic modulus and phase angle over
the dynamic modulus decreases while the phase angle
increases. a wide range of reduced frequencies at a reference

Figure 3. Measured dynamic modulus at four temperatures with Figure 4. Measured phase angle at four temperatures with six
six frequencies. frequencies.
 International Journal of Pavement Engineering
temperature (Fonseca and Witczak 1996):
B approximate the temperature – time superposition rule for
logðE * Þ ¼ A þ ; ð7Þ
1þ e2ðCþD logðf r ÞÞ
where A, B, C and D are the material-dependent
parameters. The second-order polynomial function is
used to express the temperature – time superposition rule
logðaT Þ ¼ aT 2 þ bT þ c;
where a, b and c are the material and reference
temperature-dependent constants.
The mechanistic mechanical models can describe the
Downloaded by [University of Hong Kong Libraries] at 22:22 12 March 2013
complex modulus in a complex format by using their
physical elements. The structures of the Maxwell, Kelvin,
Burger, generalised Maxwell and generalised Kelvin
models are presented in Figure 5, in which E is the elastic
modulus of spring and h is the viscosity parameter of
dashpot. The associated mathematical expression of
complex modulus for each model was determined by
using Equation (4), which is also shown in some other
literatures (e.g. Olard and Benedetto 2003).
As shown in Figure 6, the Huet – Sayegh model has two
parallel branches, one of which is the elastic spring E0,
representing the long-term elastic modulus (frequency is
zero), and the other is formed by three elements in series:
one elastic spring El, as the difference in instantaneous
elastic modulus E1 (frequency is infinite) and long-term
modulus E0, and two parabolic dashpots.
For the parabolic dashpot, the stress – strain relation-
ship is given by (Pronk 2005)
h
s¼ ðivtÞa 1;
t (applicable for mechanical models) will follow the chi-
where i2 ¼ 2 1, v ¼ 2p f, f is the frequency, h is the
viscosity parameter and a is the parabolic dashpot variable
(0 , a , 1), e.g. k and h in Figure 6. t is the retardation
time regarding the effect of temperature T, which can be
expressed as (Pronk 2005):
t ¼ eaþbTþcT ;
2
ð10Þ
where T is the temperature and a, b and c are the constants.
The complex modulus E* is described by the Huet –
Sayegh model as (Pronk 2005)
El
E * ¼ E0 þ ; ð11Þ
1 þ dðiwtÞ2k þ ðiwtÞ2h
where d ¼ Elt/h1, k and h are the two constants (0 , k,
h , 1).
405
4.2 Master curve of dynamic modulus and phase angle
The second-order polynomial function was used to
all models used in this paper, and the statistic test of
goodness of fit was conducted by fitting these mechanical
models (Burger, Maxwell, Kelvin, generalised Maxwell,
generalised Kelvin and Huet – Sayegh) to the measured
moduli. Here, the measured dynamic modulus jE*m j
(absolute value of complex modulus), elastic part of
0 00
ð8Þ storage modulus jE m j, viscous part of loss modulus jE m j
and phase angle wm are assumed to be normally distributed
around the predicted dynamic modulus jE*p j, predicted
storage modulus jE p0 j, predicted loss modulus jE p00j and
predicted phase angle wp by the Huet –Sayegh model,
respectively. The measured and predicted moduli are
considered independent as wm and wp are. The sum
"
 #
X
N jE*m j 2 jE*p j 2
2
x ¼ ;
i¼1
sE2
(applicable for both analytical and mathematical models),
"
 #
X
N jE*m j 2 jE*p j 2 ðwm 2 wp Þ2
x ¼2
þ
i¼1
sE2 sw2
and
" #
X
N ðjE 0m j 2 jE 0p jÞ2 ðjE 00m j 2 jE 00p jÞ2
2
x ¼ þ ;
i¼1
sE2 sE2
ð9Þ
square (x 2) distribution with N degrees of freedom, where
N is the number of tested data points (i.e. for four
temperatures and six frequencies, N ¼ 24). The parameter
x 2 is minimised to achieve the best curve fitting by using
the optimisation method.
Using the Huet–Sayegh model, the master curves of
dynamic modulus and phase angle over a wide range of
reduced frequencies are obtained by fitting the measured data
using the optimisation method in an excel sheet, as shown in
Figures 7 and 8, respectively. Table 2 shows the model
parameters for the specimen M0287-SPT14. It is indicated
that the Huet–Sayegh model can fit the dynamic modulus
very well, and the dynamic modulus can be fitted better than
phase angle, i.e. for specimen M0287-SPT14, the x 2 is 1.1
with a probability of more than 99% for the hypothesis
(i.e. the calculated dynamic modulus equals the measured
dynamic modulus) to be accepted. The master curves for all
20 mixtures by using the Huet–Sayegh model are displayed
in Appendix A (average modulus values of duplicate
 406 Q. Xu and M. Solaimanian
Downloaded by [University of Hong Kong Libraries] at 22:22 12 March 2013

Figure 5. Analytical models and expressions of complex modulus.

 International Journal of Pavement Engineering 407

Figure 6. Huet– Sayegh model.

Downloaded by [University of Hong Kong Libraries] at 22:22 12 March 2013

Figure 7. Master curves of dynamic moduli by Huet – Sayegh model.

Figure 8. Master curves of phase angles by Huet – Sayegh model.

Table 2. Parameters of Huet – Sayegh model.

E0 (MPa) E1 (MPa) d (1/s) k h a b ca Trb (8C)

0.1 17,156 5.2816 0.354 0.354 0.0006 20.2954 7.0278 25
a
a þ 25b þ 625c ¼ 0 for the reference temperature 258C.
b
Reference temperature.
 408 Q. Xu and M. Solaimanian
Downloaded by [University of Hong Kong Libraries] at 22:22 12 March 2013

Figure 9. Master curve of dynamic modulus by Maxwell model.

Figure 10. Master curve of dynamic modulus by Kelvin model.

Figure 11. Master curve of dynamic modulus by Burger’s model.

 International Journal of Pavement Engineering 409

specimens were used for the same mixtures,
" #
XN ðjE*m j 2 jE*p jÞ2 ðwm 2 wp Þ2
2
x ¼ þ the Huet–Sayegh model in its ability to simulate pavement
i¼1
sE2 sw2
is used for optimisation), and the associated model
parameters were detailed in Appendix B. In general, the
data indicate that moduli vary within a wide range for
different mixes. It appears that the mixes with larger
aggregate size and lower air void levels have higher modulus.
It is also noted that the master curves of Huet–Sayegh do not
show a well-defined upper shelf for some specimens at the
test point of 25 Hz and 48C. This could be a result of
insufficient test data at the high frequency and low
Downloaded by [University of Hong Kong Libraries] at 22:22 12 March 2013
temperature. This phenomenon is also noted for other
models including the sigmoidal function (even though to a
smaller extent). This might be a significant disadvantage of
response at cold temperatures.
For comparison, analysis is also presented based on the
results from other mechanical models (Maxwell, Kelvin,
Burger, generalised Maxwell and generalised Kelvin) for
the same mixture. These models were also applied to fit the
measured dynamic modulus and establish the master curves
with respect to the reduced frequency at the reference
temperature of 258C. To express the complex modulus, the
Maxwell model used four parameters (two material
parameters represented by the spring and dashpot, and the

Figure 12. Master curve of dynamic modulus by generalised Maxwell model. Generalised Maxwell model: (a) n ¼ 6 and (b) n ¼ 16.
 410 Q. Xu and M. Solaimanian

other two parameters used for expressing the temperature –
time shift factors). The number of parameters for the Kelvin
and Burger models was five and six, respectively. Both the
generalised Maxwell and Kelvin models used (2n þ 3)
parameters (n is a term number). Master curve results by
using these mechanical models are shown in Figures 9– 13,
respectively, indicating that the Maxwell, Kelvin and
Burger models could only fit the dynamic modulus within a
very limited range of reduced frequencies. The master
curves of the generalised Maxwell and Kelvin models result
from ‘assembling’ of n master curves of single Maxwell
and Kelvin models, respectively. The curve ‘waves’ appear,
though increasing term number of n will reduce the ‘wave’
amplitude, and a large n (i.e. n . 10) is necessary for
Downloaded by [University of Hong Kong Libraries] at 22:22 12 March 2013
achieving a good data fitting. The model parameters are
detailed in Appendix C. It is also noted that the upper
shelves of model expressions ‘ignore’ the tested data,
which can be resulted from the mathematical formats of
those mechanical models and insufficient test data at high
values of reduced frequencies. Meanwhile, the optimis-
ation method tries to minimise the x 2 statistics of
summarisation of differences between modelling results
and testing results overall. As a result, the models would
provide a better fitting overall, but may ignore some points
on the upper shelf shown in Figures 9 – 13.
The master curves of dynamic modulus for the same
specimen (M0287-SPT14) using all mechanical models
at 258C reference temperature were plotted in Figure 14.

Figure 13. Master curve of dynamic modulus by generalised Kelvin model. Generalised Kelvin model: (a) n ¼ 4 and (b) n ¼ 12.
 International Journal of Pavement Engineering 411
Downloaded by [University of Hong Kong Libraries] at 22:22 12 March 2013

Figure 14. Master curves of dynamic modulus by different analytical models.

It was found that the Huet–Sayegh, generalised Maxwell
(n ¼ 16) and generalised Kelvin models (n ¼ 12) all have
close fits for these measured 24 dynamic modulus data points
with low x 2 statistics, as shown in Table 3. All models
including the sigmoidal function indicate that the probability
of accepting the hypothesis (the calculated dynamic modulus
equals the measured dynamic modulus) exceeds 99%.
However, the fitted curves of the generalised Maxwell and
Kelvin models were not as smooth as those of the Huet–
Sayegh model. Meanwhile, they ‘ignore’ the upper shelves
of test data as discussed previously. It was further found that
the modelled complex moduli of the Huet–Sayegh model
could be fitted by the sigmoidal function closely, as
illustrated in Figure 15. The smoother curve of the Huet–
Sayegh model illustrates its advantages over other
mechanical models for describing the dynamic modulus
beyond the range of measured frequencies and temperatures.
Such is the case for data points at the very high reduced
frequency (low temperature or high frequency).
The mathematical model of sigmoidal function
(Equation (7)) has been used by many researchers to fit
the measured dynamic modulus and construct the master
curve with six parameters. Using the same shift factors, a
different sigmoidal function with four parameters can be
established to construct the master curve of phase angle
(total n ¼ 6 þ 4). By using seven parameters, the Huet –
Sayegh model can be used to describe the complex
modulus properly. This calculation procedure can be easily
implemented in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet for friendly
use. One of the main advantages of the Huet – Sayegh
model over the sigmoidal function is that it is a rheological
model utilising the physical elements to describe the
viscoelastic property of asphalt concrete in a complex
format, which helps towards understanding the mechanical
behaviour and structure of materials.
5. Conclusions
The laboratory complex modulus tests were conducted on
20 asphalt concrete mixtures. Several mechanical models
were used to fit the measured dynamic moduli, and to
construct the master curves of complex modulus with

Table 3. x2 statistics of analysed models.

PN hðjE*m j2jE*p jÞ2 i PN hðjE0m j2jE0p jÞ2 ðjE00m j2jE00p jÞ2
i PN hðjE*m j2jE*p jÞ2 ðjw*m j2jw*p jÞ2
i
x2 i¼1 sE2 i¼1 s E0 2
þ s E00 2 i¼1 sE2
þ sw2

Sigmoidal function 0.080016

Huet – Sayegh model 0.059028 3.889408072 1.10321257
Generalised Maxwell (n ¼ 6) 0.214593 15.50043973 7.12543786
Generalised Maxwell (n ¼ 16) 0.020392 3.740935878 1.20847381
Generalised Kelvin (n ¼ 4) 0.177975 10.18835814 9.87330187
Generalised Kelvin (n ¼ 12) 0.018816 8.23805645 3.50157842
 412 Q. Xu and M. Solaimanian
Downloaded by [University of Hong Kong Libraries] at 22:22 12 March 2013
Figure 15. Sigmoid fit of Huet– Sayegh model.
respect to the reduced frequencies. It was found that the
Huet – Sayegh model could describe the dynamic
modulus properly over a wide range of reduced
frequencies with seven parameters. Based on the
experimental and modelling results, the Huet – Sayegh
model, as a rheological model, without the need for a
large term number or complex calculations, can be a
useful tool for constructing the master curve of dynamic
modulus.
References
Bonaquist, R.F., Christensen, D.W., and Stump, W., 2003.
Simple performance tester for Superpave mix design: first-
article development and evaluation. NCHRP Report 513,
Washington, DC.
Chehab, G.R., et al., 2002. Time –temperature superposition
principle for asphalt concrete mixtures with growing damage
in tension state. Journal of the Association of Asphalt Paving
Technologists, 71, 559– 593.
Christensen, D.W., Pellinen, T., and Bonaquist, R.F., 2003.
Hirsch models for estimating the modulus of asphalt
concrete. Journal of the Association of Asphalt Paving
Technologists, 72, 97 – 121.
El-Basyouny, M.M. and Witczak, M.W., 2005. Verification of
the calibrated fatigue cracking models for the 2002 design
guide. Journal of the Association of Asphalt Paving
Technologists, 74, 77 – 86.
El-Basyouny, M.M., Witczak, M.W., and Zapata, C., 2007.
Development of AC rutting model using permanent strain
database. Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting,
Paper #07-0390 CD ROM.
Fonseca, O.A. and Witczak, M.W., 1996. A prediction
methodology for the dynamic modulus of in-place aged
asphalt mixtures. Journal of the Association of Asphalt
Paving Technologists, 65, 532– 534.
Hallin, J.P., 2004. Development of the 2002 guide for the design
of new and rehabilitated pavement structures: phase II.
Report for the national cooperative highway research
program 01-37A, Washington, DC.
Huang, Y., 2004. Pavement analysis and design. 2nd ed.
New York: Prentice Hall.
Huet, C., 1963. Etude par une méthode d’impédance du
comportement viscoélastique des matériaux hydro-
carbones. Thesis (PhD). Faculté des Sciences de Paris,
France.
Lee, H.J., 1996. Uniaxial constitutive modeling of asphalt
concrete using viscoelasticity and continuum damage theory.
Thesis (PhD). Department of Civil Engineering, North
Carolina State University, Raleigh.
Lytton, R.L., et al., 1993. Development and validation of
performance prediction models and specifications for asphalt
binders and paving mixes. SHRP (Strategic Highway
Research Program) Report A-357. Washington, DC: National
Research Council.
Nillson, R.N., Hopman, P.C., and Isacsson, U., 2002.
Influence of different rheological models on predicted
pavement responses in flexible pavements. Road Materials
and Pavement Design: An International Journal, 3,
117– 149.
Olard, F. and Benedetto, H.D., 2003. General ‘2S2P1D’ model
and relation between the linear viscoelastic behaviors
of bituminous binders and mixes. Road Materials
and Pavement Design: An International Journal, 4,
185– 224.
Pellinen, T.K. and Witczak, M.W., 2002. Stress dependent
master curve construction for dynamic (complex) modulus.
Journal of the Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists,
71, 281– 309.
Pronk, A.C., 2005. The Huet–Sayegh model: a simple and
excellent rheological model for master curves of asphaltic
mixes. Proceedings of the R. Lytton symposium on mechanics of
flexible pavements, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 73–82.
Schwartz, C.W., Gibson, N.H., and Schapery, R.A., 2002. Time-
temperature superposition for asphalt concrete at large
 International Journal of Pavement Engineering 413

compressive strains. Journal of Transportation Research
Record, 1789, 101– 112.
Williams, M.L., Landel, R.F., and Ferry, J.D., 1995.
The temperature dependence of relaxation mechanisms
in amorphous polymers and other glass-forming liquids.
Journal of the American Chemical Society, 77,
3701– 3706.
Downloaded by [University of Hong Kong Libraries] at 22:22 12 March 2013
Witczak, M.W., 2005. Simple performance tests: summary of
recommended methods and database. NCHRP Report 547.
Washington, DC: National Research Council.
Witczak, M.W. and Fonseca, O.A., 1996. Revised pre-
dictive model for dynamic (complex) modulus of asphalt
mixtures. Journal of Transportation Research Record, 1540,
15 – 23.
 414 Q. Xu and M. Solaimanian

Appendix A: Master curves of dynamic modulus by Huet – Sayegh model.

Downloaded by [University of Hong Kong Libraries] at 22:22 12 March 2013
Downloaded by [University of Hong Kong Libraries] at 22:22 12 March 2013

International Journal of Pavement Engineering

415
Downloaded by [University of Hong Kong Libraries] at 22:22 12 March 2013

416
Q. Xu and M. Solaimanian
Downloaded by [University of Hong Kong Libraries] at 22:22 12 March 2013

International Journal of Pavement Engineering

417
Downloaded by [University of Hong Kong Libraries] at 22:22 12 March 2013

418
Q. Xu and M. Solaimanian
Downloaded by [University of Hong Kong Libraries] at 22:22 12 March 2013

International Journal of Pavement Engineering

419
Downloaded by [University of Hong Kong Libraries] at 22:22 12 March 2013

420
Q. Xu and M. Solaimanian
 International Journal of Pavement Engineering 421

Appendix B: Huet –Sayegh model parameters for all mixtures

Mixture E0 (MPa) E1 (MPa) d (1/s) k h a b c

M3254 0.1 28,381.90 13.492356 0.317451 0.317451 0.000072 20.305292 7.587351
M3273 0.1 35,473.90 11.874732 0.229700 0.229700 20.000496 20.330976 8.584572
M3298 0.1 25,184.83 10.387988 0.279699 0.279699 0.001154 20.372478 8.590497
M2149 0.1 29,311.87 5.919594 0.267714 0.267714 0.000938 20.337845 7.859799
M2167 0.1 23,502.97 4.256929 0.290003 0.290003 0.001268 20.352085 8.009394
M0237 0.1 25,092.13 3.649406 0.296606 0.296606 0.001493 20.342398 7.626727
M0251 0.1 24,908.32 6.562897 0.277476 0.277476 0.001185 20.343057 7.835975
M0272 0.1 25,957.65 9.517871 0.183220 0.183220 0.003580 20.541592 11.302224
M0287 0.1 21,996.93 5.986186 0.279926 0.279926 20.000102 20.287540 7.252366
M1241A 0.1 22,133.53 5.266329 0.284492 0.284492 0.000197 20.307764 7.571119
M1261 0.1 16,597.82 4.403468 0.300663 0.300663 0.001589 20.347257 7.688409
M2256 0.1 27,192.25 6.468686 0.320410 0.320410 20.000020 20.246091 6.164856
Downloaded by [University of Hong Kong Libraries] at 22:22 12 March 2013

M2288 0.1 28,948.14 5.171846 0.284857 0.284857 0.001084 20.341184 7.852243

M2302 0.1 30,789.77 4.927312 0.296796 0.296796 0.001487 20.352207 7.876075
M0181 0.1 22,685.42 4.144948 0.334179 0.334179 0.000208 20.251886 6.167133
M0216 0.1 25,183.22 9.288503 0.321540 0.321540 0.000891 20.316422 7.353406
M0264 0.1 21,625.00 5.179771 0.231531 0.231531 0.000609 20.332282 7.926694
M1241B 0.1 20,306.66 5.051609 0.307198 0.307198 20.000069 20.257169 6.472400
M1253 0.1 18,791.70 5.521520 0.285067 0.285067 0.000605 20.307410 7.306918
M1255 0.1 18,504.35 12.494803 0.289114 0.289114 0.004201 20.497011 9.799364
Note: For each mixture, three to five duplicate specimens were used, and the average modulus values were used for Huet – Sayegh model here.
 422 Q. Xu and M. Solaimanian

Appendix C: Model parameters for analytical models (specimen M0287-SPT14)

Generalised Generalised Generalised Generalised

Coefficient Maxwell Kelvin Burger Maxwell (n ¼ 6) Kelvin (n ¼ 4) Maxwell (n ¼ 16) Kelvin (n ¼ 12)
a 7.6900 6.7236 7.1395 7.815582896 7.2016 8.1180 7.6900
b 2 0.3490 2 0.3624 20.3344 2 0.357010224 2 0.3281 2 0.3485 20.3514
c 0.0037 0.0037 0.0020 0.001775476 0.0016 0.0017 0.0018
E0 (or E1)a 13,494.0785 0.000001 15,944.6296 0.000001 17,919.5446
E1b 13,152.8538 3346.4122 15,018.4164 4773.159985 10,319,376.9504 4075.1707 10,319,376.9374
h1 41.5880 756.9070 5249.8256 0.000001 9,934,558.1316 0.000001 9,934,558.1178
E2 17,480.0006 4929.463075 1655.9490 3100.5018 720.4349
h2 117.6947 0.000001 7676.8988 0.000001 66,764.0968
E3 3086.963928 43,479.0025 3118.6491 75,891.3116
h3 0.000001 49.1712 0.000002 7.7120
E4 3636.379242 14,686.5942 1.0000 49,019.5710
Downloaded by [University of Hong Kong Libraries] at 22:22 12 March 2013

h4 3839.741046 683.3893 3836.4096 1531.1749

E5 5983.224175 4995.4764 5137.4048
h5 1.512232243 0.000001 23,052.9339
E6 5609.908006 4416.4181 40,091.4436
h6 96.29796062 0.000001 10,632.1606
E7 407.4616 63,664.1717
h7 20,401.2263 153.0773
E8 3301.4224 95,319.9739
h8 8.7175 174.9728
E9 3030.7274 95,770.2367
h9 0.0348 27,551.1043
E10 3970.5394 32,988.9122
h10 0.7409 9010.6908
E11 1794.3451 21,350.2571
h11 585.9260 22,522.9906
E12 1108.1352 67,422.0068
h12 3799.1725 2195.1724
E13 353.0349
h13 40.3925
E14 3090.6547
h14 75.9827
E15 39.2712
h15 2631.0273
E16 142.2836
h16 7621.0204
a
For Kelvin and generalised Kelvin model, it is E1 representing modulus at infinite time.
b
Unit for modulus E is MPa and viscosity h is MPa s.