Road Materials and Pavement Design

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Contribution of MIST conditioning in evolution of

structural parameters of asphalt mixes containing
recycled asphalt pavement

Burhan Showkat & Dharamveer Singh

To cite this article: Burhan Showkat & Dharamveer Singh (2021): Contribution of MIST
conditioning in evolution of structural parameters of asphalt mixes containing recycled asphalt
pavement, Road Materials and Pavement Design, DOI: 10.1080/14680629.2021.1883468

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/14680629.2021.1883468

Published online: 12 Feb 2021.

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ROAD MATERIALS AND PAVEMENT DESIGN
https://doi.org/10.1080/14680629.2021.1883468

Contribution of MIST conditioning in evolution of structural

parameters of asphalt mixes containing recycled asphalt
pavement
Burhan Showkat and Dharamveer Singh
Civil Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, India

ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY

This study evaluates the effect of varying stress cycles of moisture induced Received 17 June 2020
stress tester (MIST) on structural parameters of asphalt mixes contain- Accepted 25 January 2021
ing recycled asphalt pavement (RAP). Five levels of stress cycles were KEYWORDS
adopted viz. 1000, 2000, 3500, 5000 and 10,000. Bulk specific gravity tests Moisture-induced stress
(Gmb ) were then conducted on asphalt mixes. The evaluated parameters tester (MIST); stress cycles;
included percent change in total air voids (pTAV), connected air voids (CAV), recycled asphalt pavement
degree of saturation (S), percent density change (%DC) and swelling index (RAP); air voids; bulk specific
(SI). The results indicated that pTAV, CAV,S, %DC, and SI increased with the gravity
increase in stress cycles. However, the inclusion of RAP was observed to
decrease such parameters. ‘Good’ to ‘Excellent’ correlation existed between
common parameter pTAV and CAV, S, %DC, SI. It is expected that the current
study will assist in explaining how MIST conditioning affects the moisture
damage susceptibility of asphalt mixes based on performance tests.

1. Introduction
Moisture damage of the asphalt pavements is a worldwide concern (Tarefder & Ahmad, 2015). It leads
to the degradation of both physical and mechanical performance of asphalt pavement (Airey & Choi,
2002; Caro et al., 2008). Furthermore, traffic loading has a significant role to play in causing the moisture
damage. Hence, moisture-induced stress tester (MIST) has been developed which simulates the mois-
ture damage in the saturated pavement due to repeated pore pressure generation under the traffic
load (Instrotek, 2015; Shu et al., 2012). Several studies have found MIST to be effective in characterising
laboratory-measured moisture susceptibility of asphalt mix (Arepalli et al., 2020; Chen & Huang, 2008;
Dhakal & Ashtiani, 2016; Mallick et al., 2005; Varveri et al., 2014a; Zofka et al., 2014).
Increase in asphalt binder prices, declining crude oil reserves and responsibility for contributing to
the sustainability of environment has ignited a renewed interest in utilising recycled asphalt pavement
(RAP) in asphalt mixes (Copeland, 2011; Ghabchi et al., 2016; Hussain & Yanjun, 2013; Widyatmoko,
2008; Yan et al., 2014). The inclusion of RAP in hot recycling has proven to be beneficial in the context
of lowering the construction costs, reusing the existing materials, conserving the natural resources and
protecting the environment. Such benefits make adopting RAP in asphalt mixes a lucrative prospect.
However, moisture-induced damage susceptibility of RAP mixes is still a concern and requires further
investigation (Stroup-Gardiner & Wagner, 1999; Islam et al., 2014). Hence, there is a need to determine
the impact of MIST conditioning on RAP mixes for performing a comparison with the mixes without
RAP (control mix). Such a comparative exercise is expected to generate further confidence amongst
research community and industry regarding the adoptability of RAP in asphalt mixes.

CONTACT Burhan Showkat burhanshowkat524@gmail.com

© 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
2 B. SHOWKAT AND D. SINGH

Several researchers have studied the effect of MIST conditioning on asphalt mixes. For instance,
Tarefder et al. (2014) explored the effect of pore pressure cycles on moisture sensitivity of hot mix
asphalt by evaluating the dynamic modulus. Two sets of MIST cycles, 3500 and 7000, were applied at
a temperature of 60°C. Dynamic modulus was observed to decrease with the increase in MIST cycles.
Weldegiorgis and Tarefder (2015) evaluated the effect of MIST on the dynamic modulus of hot asphalt
mixes containing 15% RAP in three domains: Pressure (276, 379 and 483 kPa), temperature (40°C, 50°C
and 60°C) and cycles (3500, 7000 and 10,500). They reported a decrease in dynamic modulus after
MIST conditioning. Furthermore, Weldegiorgis and Tarefder (2015) suggested that the currently rec-
ommended stress cycles in ASTM D7870 (3500 cycles) may be inadequate since moisture damage was
observed beyond 3500 stress cycles. Varveri et al. (2016) argued that the degradation of the asphalt
mix during the conditioning process is influenced by the conditioning regime, time, aggregate and
binder. About 4000 cycles of MIST were applied to porous asphalt mix at a temperature of 60°C and
a pressure of 486 kPa. Sulejmani et al. (2019) explored the moisture sensitivity of base course asphalt
mixes by applying the cyclic pore pressures using MIST and adopting pressure of 276kPa, temperature
of 40°C and 3500 stress cycles. The study indicated that MIST conditioning caused a decline in stiffness
modulus and a decrement in elastic properties of the mix.
Typically, researchers have focussed on evaluating the effect of MIST conditioning on moisture-
induced damage of the asphalt mix based on the performance parameter computed from a perfor-
mance test. However, MIST conditioning is expected to cause changes in the structural parameters
of the asphalt mix which thereafter contributes to the observed influence on moisture damage. Such
structural parameters may include the total air voids (TAV), connected air voids (CAV), degree of sat-
uration (S), percent density change (%DC) and swelling index (SI). Most of the researches have not
considered the effect on the structural parameters. Furthermore, hot asphalt mix without RAP has
been the prime focus of the research. Therefore, the current study attempts to conduct a compre-
hensive assessment of the evolution that various structural parameters of the asphalt mix undergo
when subjected to stress cycles of MIST. Hence, in the current study, asphalt mixes with and without
RAP were subjected to varying stress cycles of MIST ranging from 1000 to 10,000 and thereafter, the
impact on various parameters such as TAV, CAV, S, %DC and SI was determined. In doing so, varia-
tion of trends of such evaluated parameters may act as a necessary ground work in explaining how
MIST conditioning affects the moisture-induced damage susceptibility of the asphalt mixes when
computed based on performance tests. Hence, if different performance tests (such as indirect ten-
sile strength, resilient modulus, dynamic modulus etc.) are conducted on mix samples subjected to
varying stress cycles of MIST, the structural parameters evaluated in the current study will be criti-
cal in explaining the variational trends in the performance parameters from performance tests and
thereby aid in bettering our understanding of moisture-induced damage. Furthermore, an attempt
was made to establish the correlations between the various computed parameters and develop pre-
dictive equations. Finally, statistical analysis was conducted to ascertain whether different stress cycles
of MIST cause significant changes in the various evaluated parameters of the asphalt mixes with and
without RAP.
The study attempts to attain the following specific objectives:

• Evaluate effect of varying stress cycles of MIST on structural parameters of control and RAP asphalt
mix.
• Conduct a correlation study between the various evaluated structural parameters for asphalt mix
control and RAP asphalt mix.
• Evaluate statistically whether the various stress cycles of mix cause significant effect on the evalu-
ated structural parameters of control and RAP asphalt mix.
 ROAD MATERIALS AND PAVEMENT DESIGN 3

2. Research approach
The research approach for this study was formulated to understand how varying stress cycles of MIST
conditioning influences various structural parameters of control and RAP mixes. RAP was added in
proportion of 10, 20, 30 and 40%. For the sake of brevity, control mix has been nomenclatured as CM
and 10, 20, 30 and 40% RAP mixes have been designated as 10RM, 20RM, 30RM and 40RM, respec-
tively. Both control and RAP mixes were designed in compliance with Superpave method and design
binder content was determined. Mixes compacted at design binder content were then subjected to
varying stress cycles of MIST and thereafter, bulk specific gravity (Gmb ) tests were conducted. Follow-
ing parameters were then evaluated: (1) TAV (2) CAV (3) S (4) %DC and (5) SI. Thenceforth, the impact of
varying stress cycles of MIST on such parameters was computed. Correlation study was also conducted

Figure 1. Research approach.

4 B. SHOWKAT AND D. SINGH

between various evaluated parameters. Finally, statistical analysis was performed to ascertain the sig-
nificance of variation in the evaluated parameters as the function of applied stress cycles. Figure 1
details the research approach.

3. Materials
3.1. Asphalt binder
Two types of base binders were adopted for this study: AC30 and AC10. Both binders are commonly
used for construction in India. AC30 was adopted for the control mix whereas AC10 was considered as
the base binder for 10RM, 20RM, 30RM and 40RM. AC30 and AC10 were collected from a private sector
manufacturing company. Furthermore, binder was also extracted from RAP using a centrifuge extrac-
tor as per ASTM D2172 and recovered using the rotary evaporator in accordance with ASTM D5404.
The recovered RAP binder was then subjected to basic characterisation. Table 1 illustrates the basic
characterisation of the adopted binders. The collected binder from RAP was observed to exhibit very
low penetration and high absolute viscosity at 60°C and softening point (Table 1). This indicated that
the RAP was quite aged due to exposure to field conditions and was very stiff. Hence, it was expected
that the binder from RAP will have a major influence on the properties of the overall resultant blend.

3.1.1. Rationale behind choosing base binder for RAP mixes

AC10 was adopted as base binder for RAP mixes by constructing the linear blending chart based on
absolute viscosity at 60°C. Absolute viscosity test was performed on RAP extracted binder and AC30 in
accordance with ASTM D2170. The viscosities were obtained as 4172 and 264 Pa-s, respectively. Based
on the viscosity of AC30, the target viscosity of blend was set at 260 Pa-s. Thereafter, linear blending
charts were constructed as depicted in Figure 2.
Furthermore, the required binder grades for RAP mixes have been provided in Table 2.
As is evident from Table 2, for 10RM, the base binder required is AC20. However, AC10 was adopted
instead of AC20. Three reasons enabled for such a choice: One, AC20 was commercially unavailable,
two, in case the assumption of linear relationship for blending is violated on account of high viscosity
of RAP binder, a softer binder as a base binder than the one predicted by the linear blending chart is
a better choice and three, it was intended to keep the base binder same for all the RAP mixes so that
a comparison of performance can be made with respect to the frequently adopted AC30 in India. For
20RM and 30RM, the obtained base binder grades were very close to AC10 (80–120 Pa-s). Hence, AC10
was adopted as base binder. However, for 40RM, a base binder grade with viscosity equivalent to 42 Pa-
s was required. Again, since such a grade of binder is not available and, for a comparison amongst the
RAP mixes, it was decided to adopt AC10 in 40RM. Furthermore, McDaniel and Anderson (2001) have
suggested that if the RAP to be used in the mix is in between 25 and 40%, in no case the base binder
should be softer than two grades. This also validates the adoption of AC10 for 40RM.

Table 1. Basic characterisation of binders.

IS 73 specification

Characteristic AC30 AC10 RAP binder AC30 AC10 Test reference

Penetration at 25°C, 100 g, 54 86 11 > 45 > 80 ASTM D5
5 s, 0.1 mm
Absolute viscosity at 60°C, 2637 1190 41,721 2400–3600 800–1200 ASTM D2170
Poises
Softening point (Ring & 48 45 64 > 47 > 40 ASTM D36
Ball), °C
 ROAD MATERIALS AND PAVEMENT DESIGN 5

Figure 2. Blending chart.

Table 2. Selection of base binder.

Target blended binder RAP extracted binder Required base binder Required grade as Adopted base
Mix type viscosity (Poise) viscosity (Poise) viscosity (Poise) per ASTM D3381 binder grade
CM 2600 41,721 2600 AC30 AC30
10RM 2600 41,721 1880 AC20 AC10
20RM 2600 41,721 1260 – AC10
30RM 2600 41,721 764 – AC10
40RM 2600 41,721 419 – AC10

3.2. Aggregate and RAP

The basaltic aggregate was obtained from the local quarry. Furthermore, the aggregates were col-
lected from three stockpiles with distinct gradations. Sieve analysis of stockpiles was conducted as
per ASTM C136.
The RAP used in this study was obtained from surface and binder courses of Bidar – Humnabad
highway in Karnataka, India. Binder content of RAP was determined in accordance with ASTM D2172
and was computed to be 4.3%. Furthermore, RAP was also subjected to ignition oven burn-off as per
AASHTO T308 and the recovered aggregates were subjected to gradation analysis as per ASTM C136.
Table 3 depicts the gradation of the aggregates and RAP.

Table 3. Gradation results for aggregates and RAP.

Sieve size
(mm) 26.50 19.00 13.20 9.50 4.75 2.36 1.18 0.60 0.30 0.15 0.075
Percent passing Stockpile 1 100.0 96.4 13.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
(mm) Stockpile 2 100.0 100.0 99.2 84.7 17.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Stockpile 3 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 98.9 75.9 55.2 34.2 23.7 18.0 11.4
RAP 100.0 99.2 95.9 89.4 65.0 49.2 32.2 19.4 14.7 11.9 9.04
6 B. SHOWKAT AND D. SINGH

4. Mix design
In this study, mix design was conducted for BC Grade 1 (MoRTH). Moreover, five mix designs were
performed for each of the mix types viz. CM, 10RM, 20RM, 30RM and 40RM. As such, blending equation
was adopted to construe the job mix formula for blending the aggregates from various stockpiles. The
final gradation of the control and RAP mixes is shown in Figure 3.
Superpave method of mix design was employed to design the control and RAP mixes. CM was
designed by mixing virgin aggregates and asphalt binder whereas RAP mixes were designed by mixing
virgin aggregate, RAP (which fully replaced a certain portion of virgin aggregates) and asphalt binder
(AC30 for CM and AC10 for RAP mixes). The procedure for mix design was followed as directed in MS-2,
AASHTO M323 and NCHRP report 452. The design number of gyrations (Ndes ) was adopted as 100 for
an expected traffic loading of 3–30 million equivalent single axle loads (ESALs) over a design life of
20 years (MS-2). Eventually, the mix design aided in computing the design binder content for control
and RAP mixes. Design binder content was determined corresponding to the design air void content
of 4%. Table 4 depicts the obtained design binder content and the corresponding mix volumetrics for
different mixes.
It is worth noting that with the increase in RAP proportion of the mix, design binder content was
observed to increase. Since mix design considers the theoretical assumption of 100% degree of blend-
ing, the increase in design binder content is attributable to the inadequate degree of blending in the
actual scenario. Hence, VMA and VFA have increased as well. Identical observations were made by
Daniel and Lachance (2005). Furthermore, Pbe was observed to increase with the increasing propor-
tions of RAP thereby indicating that additional binder is available to coat the aggregates in RAP mixes.
Also, Pba decreased with the increasing RAP proportion. Since, RAP is already coated with binder, it is
expected to absorb a lesser amount of binder as compared to virgin aggregates thereby causing an

Figure 3. Blended gradations for different mix types.

 ROAD MATERIALS AND PAVEMENT DESIGN 7

Table 4. Volumetric properties for designed mixes.

Volumetric property CM 10RM 20RM 30RM 40RM Specification (MS-2)
DBC (%) 4.82 5.14 5.23 5.55 5.64 –
VMA (%) 14.3 15.6 16.1 16.6 17.0 > 13
VFA (%) 72.1 74.7 75.4 75.7 76.1 65–75
Pbe (%) 3.9 4.3 4.5 4.6 4.7 –
Pba (%) 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.8 0.7 –
(P0.075 /Pbe ) 0.9 0.9 1.0 1.0 1.1 0.6–1.2
Note: DBC, Design binder content; VMA, Voids in mineral aggregate (%); VFA, Voids filled with asphalt (%); Pbe , Effective binder; Pba ,
Absorbed binder; (P0.075 /Pbe ), Dust to binder ratio.

overall decrease in Pba in RAP mixes. It is worth noting that this study considers the variation in vol-
umetrics on the inclusion of RAP as an inherent and intrinsic property of RAP mixes which are rather
unavoidable when RAP mixes are prepared separately and not for a comparison.
Once the design binder content for control and RAP mixes was ascertained, the samples for testing
were prepared using the Superpave gyratory compactor (SGC). The samples were cylindrical with the
diameter of 100 mm and the height of 65 mm. Furthermore, the target air voids for the samples was
set to 7% since it is representative of the air voids at the time of construction (Krishnan & Rao, 2001).

5. Experimental design
5.1. MIST conditioning
In this study, control and RAP mixes were subjected to moisture conditioning using MIST. MIST was
developed to quickly simulate stripping on account of repeated pore pressure generations (Chen
& Huang, 2008). The test set up for MIST is depicted in Figure 4. To begin with, three mix samples
were placed in MIST chamber filled with water. The pressure in water tight chamber was increased
and decreased by means of a bladder. Furthermore, the chamber temperature was set to 60°C at a
chamber pressure of 276 kPa in compliance with ASTM D7870. Thereafter, 1000, 2000, 3500, 5000 and
10,000 stress cycles were applied to the mix samples. The applied stress cycles aided in creating pore
pressures within the compacted mix samples thereby accelerating the effect that the mixture would
experience over the time from traffic and at normal temperatures and conditions. Moreover, at cer-
tain intervals of the applied stress cycles, bubbles were observed to get released from the top of the
chamber lid thereby indicating further purging of the chamber. When the load cycles were complete,
the conditioned samples were removed and placed in water bath at room temperature for a span of
2 h. Thereafter, the conditioned samples were adopted for subsequent testing.

5.2. Laboratory tests

5.2.1. Bulk specific gravity (Gmb )
Bulk specific gravity (Gmb ) is defined as the ratio of oven-dried weight in air of a unit volume of mate-
rial (including both the permeable and impermeable voids) at a stated temperature to the weight of
equal volume of gas-free distilled water at the same stated temperature. In this study, Gmb of com-
pacted control and RAP mixes was determined in accordance with ASTM D2726. Furthermore, Gmb
was determined for both the unconditioned and MIST conditioned mix specimens. This test aided in
computing several mix parameters that in turn assisted in understanding the effect of MIST condition-
ing on the structural parameters of control and RAP mix samples. Such parameters included TAV, CAV,
S, %DC and SI.
TAV represents the total volume of small pockets of air between the coated aggregates in a com-
pacted mixture. Durability of a mix is a function of TAV since TAV controls the passageway for the
entrance of damaging air and water (Terrel & Al-Swailmi, 1994; Varveri et al., 2014b). TAV was evaluated
8 B. SHOWKAT AND D. SINGH

Figure 4. MIST instrument.

as per Equation (1):

100 × Gmb
TAV = 100 − , (1)
Gmm
where Gmb is the bulk specific gravity of the compacted mix and Gmm is the theoretical maximum
specific gravity.
Additionally, CAV is also an important property that influences the durability of a compacted mix
(Tarefder & Ahmad, 2017; Yi et al., 2016). CAV essentially comprises of connected (permeable) and
dead-end pores. Such pores are accessible to water. However, some of the pores are entrapped within
the mix sample and are inaccessible to water. Such pores are referred to as isolated pores. It is the
CAV which is a prime contributor to durability since CAV defines the ease of access to water. Hence,
in this study, CAV was computed using Equation (2). Moreover, Figure 5 schematically represents the
connected and isolated pores in a mix sample (Yi et al., 2016):
WSSD − Wdry
CAV = × 100, (2)
WSSD − Wsub
where CAV represents the connected air voids (%); Wdry is the dry weight of compacted sample;
WSSD represents the saturated surface dry weight of the compacted sample; and Wsub represents the
submerged weight of the compacted sample.
S of a mix sample plays a major role in causing microdamage (Yi et al., 2016). S has a direct rela-
tionship with both thermal expansion and pore water pressure. Moreover, the change in CAV will also
have an impact on S of a mix sample. In the current study, S was evaluated at varying stress cycles of
MIST in accordance with Equation (3) (Instrotek, 2015):
WSSD − Wdry
S= ×100, (3)
V ×(TAV/100)
where V represents the volume of the mix sample (cubic metre, m3 ) and the remaining terms are as
described previously.
 ROAD MATERIALS AND PAVEMENT DESIGN 9

Figure 5. Schematic diagram for different pores in asphalt mixes.

Instrotek (2015) has pointed out that the change in Gmb (%DC) due to MIST conditioning is also an
indicator of whether a mix is weak or not. Hence, in this study, %DC was evaluated as per Equation (4):
Gmbi − Gmbf
%DC = ×100, (4)
Gmbi
where Gmbi represents the initial bulk specific gravity before conditioning (n.u.) and Gmbf is the final
bulk specific gravity after conditioning (n.u.).
Finally, SI is an important parameter that exhibits the propensity of a mix to swell and hence, plays
a major role in identifying the mixes susceptible to heaving (Ottos & Nyebuchi, 2018). SI was evaluated
as per Equation (5):
Vf − Vi
SI = × 100, (5)
Vi
where Vi represents the volume of mix sample before conditioning (m3 ) and Vf represents the volume
of mix sample after conditioning (m3 ).

6. Results and discussions

6.1. Effect of MIST conditioning on percent change in TAV (pTAV)
Firstly, it is important to note that TAV has not been considered directly. Rather, percent change in
TAV with respect to TAV at 0 stress cycles (pTAV) has been preferred for comprehending the impact of
varying cycles of MIST on internal voids structure of control and RAP mixes. This is due to the reason
that although all mixes (control and RAP) were prepared with a target air void of 7%, due to variability
of mixes, the resultant air voids were observed to fluctuate from 6 to 8%. Hence, in order to ensure
a fair comparison, the impact of initial variability of air voids for CM, 10RM, 20RM, 30RM and 40RM
was negated by considering the percent change. Figure 6 illustrates the impact of various stress cycles
of MIST on pTAV. Considering the impact of RAP on pTAV, it was observed that pTAV is less in 10RM
as compared to CM up to the 3500 stress cycles and beyond that, CM showed an unusual shooting
up of pTAV. Such an observation may be due to less Pbe in CM which has reduced the efficiency of
binder to glue the aggregate particles together beyond 3500 stress cycles. Furthermore, pTAV of 20RM
is very close to CM up to 3500 stress cycles. However, pTAV of 30RM and 40RM is higher than CM
only up to 3500 stress cycles. Such an initial difference may be due to AC30 being stiffer than AC10.
For both control and RAP mixes, pTAV was observed to increase with the increase in stress cycles.
10 B. SHOWKAT AND D. SINGH

Figure 6. Effect of stress cycles of MIST on pTAV of different mixes.

This can be explained since incompressible water is being forced into the Superpave samples at high
pressures and high temperatures which would thereby lead to the development of micro-cracks on
the inside of the specimens resulting in the increase in air voids. The observations agree with the study
by Varveri et al. (2016). Moreover, 20RM, 30RM and 40RM were observed to have comparable pTAV at
10,000 stress cycles. Since high air voids provide increased pathways for impermeation of air and water
thereby exacerbating moisture damage, it can be commented that inclusion of RAP has the potential
to mitigate the damage caused due to moisture intrusion. However, further mechanistic evaluation of
such moisture resistivity potential of RAP mixes is needed.
To arrive at a predictive function which can be utilised to compute pTAV from stress cycles,
regression/correlation analysis (RC) was adopted. RC is a highly general and a very flexible data ana-
lytic system (Cohen et al., 2013). pTAV was treated as a dependent variable and stress cycles were
considered as an independent variable. Thereafter, three categories of functions were analysed to
establish a relationship between the dependent and the independent variable (Table 5): One, first-
order polynomial or linear function (Equation I), two, exponential function (Equations II–VI) and three,
allometric power function (Equation VII). The best function which explained the relationship between
the quantitative variables (in this case pTAV and Cycles) was selected based on two criteria:
Criterion 1: Highest R-square (R2 ) Criterion 2: Lowest sum of square of the residuals (SSR).

The governing equations for computing R2 and SSR are provided in Table 6.

Table 5. Functions for the current study.

S. No. Function type Function equation No. of parameters Notation
1 Linear function y = a + bx 2 (a, b) I
2 Asymptotic regression model y = a − bcx 3 (a, b, c ) II
3 Two parameter exponential function y = aebx 2 (a, b) III
y = ea+bx+cx
2
4 Exponential raised to 2nd order polynomial 3 (a, b, c) IV
5 Inverted offset exponential function y = ea+(b/(x+c)) 3 (a, b, c) V
6 Exponential growth function with rate constant y = yo + AeRo x 3 (yo , A, Ro ) VI
parameter
7 Allometric power function y = ax b 2 (a, b) VII
 ROAD MATERIALS AND PAVEMENT DESIGN 11

Table 6. Best fitting criteria for the current study.

Dataset of n values: (y1 , y2 , . . . , yn )
Fitted (modelled or predicted values): (f1 , f2,... fn )
Residuals: ei = yi 
− fi
Mean: ȳ = (1/n) ni=1 yi
Criteria 1: R-Square (R2 ) Criteria 2: SSR
  2
Total sum of squares: SStot = 
i (yi − ȳ)
2
SSR = i ei
Residual sum of squares: SSR = i e2i R2 = 1 − (SSR/SStot )

The observed data fitted with successive approximations using RC analysis indicated that of the
equations enlisted in Table 5, Equation IV displayed the best fit based on ‘Criterion 1’ and ‘Criterion 2’.
Moreover, Equation IV comprises of three parameters (a, b, c). The fitted values of Equation IV are tab-
ulated in Table 7. It is worth noting that Table 7 summarises the fitted parameters for other structural
parameters too. Therefore, Table 7 will be referred to in subsequent sections also.
Finally, the generalised form of Equation IV for predicting pTAV at a given number of stress cycles
is as follows:
2
pTAV = e a+b(Cycles) + c(Cycles) , (6)
where pTAV is the percent change in TAV (%); Cycles represents the number of stress cycles at 60°C
and 276 kPa; a, b and c are the fitted parameters.

6.2. Effect of MIST conditioning on CAV

Figure 7 depicts the impact of stress cycles of MIST on CAV in evaluated mix samples. Initially, for
unconditioned samples, CAV for all RAP mixes (10RM, 20RM, 30RM and 40RM) was higher than for CM.
Such a scenario remained sustained for all the evaluated stress cycles. Moreover, with the increase in
stress cycles, CAV was observed to increase for all evaluated mix types. It can be reasoned that the
intrusion of incompressible water at high temperature and pressure has caused the fissures amidst
the binder film and aggregate, thereby leading to the generation of micro-cracks. These micro-cracks
have then interconnected with one another thereby causing an enhancement in the CAV. Further-
more, considering the effect of RAP, although CAV for 10RM was higher than that for CM, however,
with the increase in RAP content from 10 to 40%, CAV was observed to decrease. It can be hypoth-
esised that the stiffer binder in RAP has a role to play which has resisted the imparted high-pressure
water intrusion. Furthermore, since Pbe for RAP mixes is high, a greater number of stress cycles will
be required to cause fissures in the binder film and enhance the connectivity. Hence, synchronising
with the observations from the previous section, although CM was observed to have high pTAV than
RAP mixes, its CAV is still lower up to the stress cycles of 3500 stress cycles. At 5000 and 10,000 stress
cycles, 30RM and 40RM depicted lower CAV than CM. Since pore network serves as assess points for
moisture, lesser CAV will diminish the mobility of water intrusion in the sample, thereby leading to a
decrease in the probability of water reaching the binder-aggregate interface and hence, increase the
moisture-induced damage resistivity (Alvarez et al., 2009; Tarefder & Ahmad, 2017). Therefore, it can
be commented that RAP has the potential to reduce the moisture damage susceptibility of the mixes.
Data depicted in Figure 7 was subjected to RC analysis and Equation VII was shortlisted as being
the most appropriate in capturing the variation of CAV as a function of stress cycles. Hence, the fitted
values of parameters for Equation VII (a, b) are tabulated in Table 7.
The generalised form of Equation VII (Allometric power function) for predicting CAV at a given
number of stress cycles is as follows:
CAV = a(Cycles)b , (7)
where CAV is the connected air voids (%); Cycles represents the number of stress cycles at 60°C and
276 kPa; a and b are the fitted parameters.
 12
B. SHOWKAT AND D. SINGH
Table 7. Fitted parameters of structural parameters as a function of stress cycles.

Structural Fitting
parameter Fitted equation parameters CM 10RM 20RM 30RM 40RM
pTAV Equation IV: a 2.17 1.98 2.33 2.74 2.88
y = ea+bx+cx
2 b 0.0003 0.0003 0.0002 0.0001 0.0001
c −1.74E-08 −2.12E-08 −1.58E-08 −7.42E-09 −1.14E-08
R2 0.96 0.98 0.99 0.94 0.99
SSR 15.85 2.82 0.74 4.26 0.29
CAV Equation VII: a 0.56 0.78 0.83 0.84 0.88
y = ax b b 0.24 0.23 0.21 0.2 0.19
R2 0.9 0.99 0.99 0.99 0.95
SSR 0.25 0.02 0.02 0.02 0.07
S Equation VII: a 12.27 13.3 11.38 11.38 11.9
y = ax b B 0.17 0.18 0.2 0.19 0.18
R2 0.98 0.99 0.97 0.97 0.94
SSR 2.84 3.15 8.47 6.09 10.74
%DC Equation V: a 1.42 0.55 0.55 0.51 0.57
y = ea+(b/(x+c)) b −2347.07 −374.84 −565.31 −609.61 −1354.41
c −59.86 −648.82 −597.89 −582.64 −334.19
R2 0.88 0.99 0.97 0.96 0.94
SSR 0.33 0 0.02 0.02 0.03
SI Equation V: a 1.43 0.56 0.55 0.52 0.58
y = ea+(b/(x+c)) b −2410.5 −374.27 −566.37 −611.55 −1339.58
c −24.41 −643.7 −591.57 −577.04 −327.64
R2 0.88 0.99 0.96 0.96 0.94
SSR 0.35 0 0.02 0.02 0.03
 ROAD MATERIALS AND PAVEMENT DESIGN 13

Figure 7. Effect of stress cycles of MIST on CAV of different mixes.

Figure 8. Effect of stress cycles of MIST on CAV/TAV of different mixes.

Since CAV forms a portion of TAV, it was deemed interesting to evaluate how MIST conditioning
affected the CAV/TAV ratio of the evaluated mix types. Figure 8 illustrates the results. For uncondi-
tioned samples, CAV/TAV of CM and 40RM was almost the same. CAV/TAV for 10RM, 20RM and 30RM
was higher than that for CM. Moreover, with the increase in stress cycles, CAV/TAV was observed to
increase for both control and RAP mixes. This is understandable since more voids are getting intercon-
nected. Furthermore, on increasing the RAP content in RAP mixes, CAV/TAV was observed to decrease.
Stiffer binder from RAP and higher Pbe may be the reason for preventing the interconversion of TAV
to CAV. Also, CAV/TAV for 30RM and 40RM was lower than that for CM up to 5000 stress cycles. There-
after, a slight increase was observed. This is a significant observation since it indicates that in case of
14 B. SHOWKAT AND D. SINGH

30RM and 40RM, CAV forms a lesser proportion of TAV at various stress cycles and hence, has greater
resistance to intrusion of water.

6.3. Effect of MIST conditioning on S

Figure 9 illustrates the impact of varying stress cycles of MIST on S of control and RAP mixes. For
unconditioned samples, CM depicted the lowest S. S of 40RM was closest to that of CM. As the stress
cycles were increased, S was observed to increase for all mix types. This is understandable since with
the increase in stress cycles, more water is being pumped in to the sample, and consequently, more
water is occupying the pore spaces. Furthermore, with the increase in RAP content of RAP mixes, S
was observed to decrease at all the evaluated stress cycles. However, S for RAP mixes was observed
to be higher than that for CM. Khosla et al. (2000) have pointed out that samples at 6% air voids and
55% S undergo least severe conditioning while as samples tested at 8% air voids and 80% S undergo
most severe conditioning. Hence, a window can be defined based on the range of S. Moisture-induced
damage susceptibility can then be construed considering whether S falls in such a critical window.
Interestingly, up to 2000 stress cycles, control and RAP mixes depict S outside the critical window. At
5000 stress cycles, S of 10RM, 20RM and 30RM was observed to fall in the critical S window. With the
further increase in stress cycles to 10,000, all evaluated mix samples depicted S in the critical satura-
tion window. However, 40RM was observed to depict the least S which was very close to the lower
limit of 55%. The results of S follow directly from observations for CAV since higher CAV translates to
a greater ease of reaching a higher S. Furthermore, as high S is not preferable from the point of view
of moisture-induced damage resistivity since it will abet the development of dynamic pore pressure,
reduction in S for 40RM indicates that RAP mixes have the potential to mitigate the moisture-induced
damage resistivity.
S datasets for control and RAP mixes depicted in Figure 9 were subjected to RC analysis and
Equation VII was concluded to be the most appropriate in capturing the variation of CAV as a function
of stress cycles. Hence, the fitted values of parameters for Equation VII (a, b) are tabulated in.
Finally, the generalised form of Equation VII (Allometric power function) for predicting S at a given
number of stress cycles is as follows:

S = a(Cycles)b , (8)

Figure 9. Effect of stress cycles of MIST on S of different mixes.

 ROAD MATERIALS AND PAVEMENT DESIGN 15

where CAV is the connected air voids (%); Cycles represents the number of stress cycles at 60°C and
276 kPa; a and b are the fitted parameters.

6.4. Effect of MIST conditioning on %DC

%DC is an important parameter that indicates the sensitivity of the asphalt mix to moisture-induced
damage. Figure 10 illustrates the impact of varying cycles of MIST on %DC of mix samples. Firstly, with
the increase in stress cycles of MIST, %DC was observed to increase for both control and RAP mixes.
However, after 3500 stress cycles, %DC for CM increased sharply. This follows directly from the results
of TAV wherein a similar increase was observed at 3500 stress cycles. Furthermore, in case of RAP mixes,
%DC decreased with the increase in the proportion of RAP. However, up to 2000 stress cycles, %DC of
CM was lower than RAP mixes. Beyond 2000 stress cycles, the trend reversed where %DC of RAP mixes
was lower than that for CM. Instrotek (Instrotek, 2015) has pointed out that high %DC is indicative of
a weak mix. Hence, it can be commented that with the increase in stress cycles of MIST, weakening
of mix samples was observed. However, the degree of weakening decreased with the increase in RAP
proportion. Furthermore, considering the critical limiting value of 1.5% for %DC (Instrotek, 2015), it
was observed that up to 3500 stress cycles, only CM had crossed the limiting value. At 5000 and 10,000
stress cycles, %DC for 40RM remained within the critical limit. This further indicates that RAP has the
potential to diminish the sensitivity of an asphalt mix to moisture-induced damage.
The datasets of %DC for control and RAP mixes as portrayed in Figure 10 were subjected to RC
analysis and Equation V was found to be the most appropriate in capturing the behaviour of %DC as a
function of stress cycles. Hence, the fitted values of parameters for Equation V (a, b and c) are tabulated
in Table 7.
Finally, the generalised form of Equation V (Exponential function) for predicting %DC at a given
number of stress cycles is as follows:

%DC = ea+(b/(Cycles+c)) , (9)

where %DC is the percent change in density (%); Cycles represents the number of stress cycles at 60°C
and 276 kPa; a, b and c are the fitted parameters.

Figure 10. Effect of stress cycles of MIST on %DC of different mixes.

16 B. SHOWKAT AND D. SINGH

Figure 11. Effect of stress cycles of MIST on SI of different mixes.

6.5. Effect of MIST conditioning on SI

SI of asphalt mix is significant since it may play a major role in exacerbating the distress in pavement
due to heaving. Such swelling of asphalt mix can be further assisted due to the dynamic stress cycles
imparted by the traversing traffic. Figure 11 illustrates the effect of varying stress cycles from MIST on
SI of control and RAP mixes. With the increase in stress cycles, SI was observed to increase for both
control and RAP mixes. This indicated that MIST conditioning has caused the volume expansion of the
mix samples. Furthermore, the inclusion of increasing proportion of RAP in RAP mixes was observed
to decrease the tendency of mix samples to undergo volume change. Up till 2000 stress cycles, SI of
CM was lower than 10RM whereas it was higher than 20RM, 30RM and 40RM. Moreover, beyond 3500
stress cycles, the SI of RAP mixes was lower than that for CM. Hence, SI indicated that RAP mixes have a
greater resistance to undergo volume changes due to stress cycles of MIST as compared to control mix.
This indicated that in field, RAP mixes may be more resistant to distresses related to heaving. However,
to substantiate the claim, a thorough field evaluation is required.
The datasets of SI for control and RAP mixes as illustrated in Figure 11 underwent RC analysis and
Equation V (Exponential function) was observed to be the most appropriate in capturing the response
of SI as a function of stress cycles. Hence, the fitted values of parameters for Equation V (a, b and c) are
tabulated in Table 7.
Finally, the generalised form of Equation V (Exponential function) for predicting SI at a given
number of stress cycles is as follows:

SI = ea+(b/(Cycles+c)) , (10)

where SI is the swelling index (%); Cycles represents the number of stress cycles at 60°C and 276 kPa;
a, b and c are the fitted parameters.

7. Correlation study
In this study, statistical correlations were attempted to be established between various evaluated
parameters of pTAV, CAV, S, %DC and SI to ascertain how such variables fluctuate about one another.
Four major correlations viz. Corr (CAV, pTAV), Corr (S, pTAV), Corr (%DC, pTAV) and Corr (pTAV, SI) were
explored. The strength of the correlations was ascertained based on Pearson’s correlation coefficient
 ROAD MATERIALS AND PAVEMENT DESIGN 17

(r). r provides the strength of the linear relationship between the quantifiable variables. The value of r
may range from −1 to +1. Pearson’s r was computed as per Equation (11):
n
((xi − x̄)(yi − ȳ))
r =  i=1 , (11)
n 2 n
i=1 (xi − x̄) i=1 (yi − ȳ)

and
n n
i=1 xi i=1 yi
x̄ = ; ȳ =
,
n n
where n represents the sample size; and, xi , yi are the individual sample points.

Figure 12. Correlation between CAV and pTAV for different mixes. (a) Control mix (b) RAP mixes.
18 B. SHOWKAT AND D. SINGH

Moreover, the interpretation of the strength of correlation coefficients has been performed based
on the work of Yusoff et al. (2011). Afterwards, each correlated pair of variables was subjected to RC
analysis and the most suitable predictive equation was determined based on Table 5 and using ‘Cri-
terion 1’ and ‘Criterion 2’ (Table 6). Furthermore, it is worth noting that all the evaluated parameters
were correlated with pTAV. The prime intention was to deduce the predictive equations for different
variables considering only pTAV as the independent variable.

7.1. Correlation between CAV and pTAV based on MIST conditioning

Figure 12(a,b) depicts the correlation between CAV and pTAV for different mixes and at varying stress
cycles of MIST. It can be noticed that with the increase in pTAV, CAV also increased. When TAV in the
mix is less, it can be expected that the pore sizes will be less and apart from each other. As pTAV
increases, it indirectly means that TAV in the mix is increasing. Hence, due to such an increase, the
distance between the pore spaces decreases which then causes the pores to connect thereby leading
to the increase in CAV. Such a trend was also observed by Tarefder and Ahmad (2017) albeit for con-
ventional mixes and considering TAV instead of pTAV. Furthermore, Pearson’s r values ranging from
+0.95 to +0.98 indicated that ‘excellent’ correlation exists between CAV and pTAV for control and RAP
mixes subjected to varying stress cycles of MIST.
RC analysis indicated that Equation VII (Allometric power function) best described the dependency
of CAV on pTAV. Table 8 depicts the fitted parameters. It is worth noting that Table 8 contains the
fitted parameters for other structural parameters too. Therefore, Table 8 will again be referred to in
subsequent sections.
Finally, Equation (12) enables the interconversion from pTAV to CAV:

CAV = a(pTAV)b , (12)

where CAV is the connected air voids (%); and, pTAV is the percent change in air voids (%).

Table 8. Fitted parameters of structural parameters as a function pTAV.

Correlating Fitting
parameters Fitted equation parameters CM 10RM 20RM 30RM 40RM
CAV and pTAV Equation VII: a 1.13 1.28 0.92 0.45 0.23
y = ax b b 0.41 0.48 0.52 0.71 0.87
R2 0.97 0.97 0.99 0.92 0.86
SSR 0.08 0.12 0.01 0.13 0.19
S and pTAV Equation V: a 4.27 4.81 4.65 4.55 4.45
y = ea+(b/(x+c)) b −9.96 −24.46 −16.4 −11.43 −9.83
c 5.3 15.5 5.62 −4.82 −8.57
R2 0.89 0.95 0.97 0.95 0.93
SSR 12.47 9.46 4.9 8.57 8.88
%DC and pTAV Equation V: a 1.5 0.59 0.64 0.42 0.93
y = ea+(b/(x+c)) B −11.98 −1.9 −3.34 −0.32 −8.84
C −7.55 −8.33 −10.47 −18.51 −17.02
R2 0.95 0.99 0.97 0.92 0.89
SSR 0.14 0 0.01 0.04 0.06
SI and pTAV Equation V: a 1.51 0.6 0.65 0.43 0.91
y = ea+(b/(x+c)) B −12.32 −1.9 −3.36 −0.32 −8.37
C −7.38 −8.3 −10.43 −18.5 −17.14
R2 0.95 0.99 0.97 0.92 0.88
SSR 0.14 0 0.02 0.04 0.07
 ROAD MATERIALS AND PAVEMENT DESIGN 19

7.2. Correlation between S and pTAV based on MIST conditioning

Figure 13(a,b) illustrates the correlation plots for control and RAP mixes subjected to varying stress
cycles of MIST. Pearson’s r was observed to fluctuate from +0.92 to +0.99 thereby indicating that
‘excellent’ correlation existed between S and pTAV. This is understandable since high pTAV indicates
high TAV and high TAV thereafter corresponds to high CAV (Section 7.1). A higher CAV will ease the
motion of water in the mix sample thereby assisting the reachability to higher saturated condition.
RC analysis indicated that Equation V (Exponential function) best described the variation of S as a
function pTAV. Table 8 illustrates the fitted parameters.
Finally, Equation (13) enables the interconversion from pTAV to S:

S = ea+(b/(pTAV+c)) . (13)

70
CM

60
S (%)

50
Pearson's r = +0.95
40

30
10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
pTAV (%)
a)
75 70
70 10RM 20RM
65
65 60
S (%)

S (%)

60 55
55 50
Pearson's r = +0.95 Pearson's r = +0.99
50 45
45 40
9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 33
65
pTAV (%) 60 pTAV (%)
30RM 40RM
60
55
55
S (%)

S (%)

50
50
45
45 Pearson's r = +0.92 Pearson's r = +0.98
40
40
18 21 24 27 30 33 21 24 27 30 33 36
pTAV (%) pTAV (%)
b)

Figure 13. Correlation between S and pTAV for different mixes. (a) Control mix (b) RAP mixes.
20 B. SHOWKAT AND D. SINGH

7.3. Correlation between %DC and pTAV based on MIST conditioning

Figure 14(a,b) portrays the correlation between %DC and pTAV for control and RAP mixes. As is evident,
the two variables are positively correlated. Moreover, r was observed to be in the range of +0.80 to
+0.97 thereby pointing that ‘good’ to ‘excellent’ correlation exists between %DC and pTAV. Since high
pTAV is also indicative of a high CAV (the two are positively correlated), it would mean that the ease
of water to propagate the mix sample enhances as pTAV increases. This eventually leads to a higher
alteration in %DC.
RC analysis depicted that Equation V (Exponential function) best described the variation of %DC as
a function pTAV. Table 8 enumerates the fitted parameters.
Finally, Equation (14) provides the interconversion from pTAV to %DC:

%DC = ea+(b/(pTAV+c)) . (14)

3.5
CM
3.0
2.5
%DC (%)

2.0
1.5 Pearson's r = +0.93

1.0
0.5
0.0
10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
pTAV (%)
a)

1.5
10RM 1.5 20RM
%DC (%)

%DC (%)

1.0
1.0
Pearson's r = +0.85 Pearson's r = +0.90
0.5
0.5
8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34
pTAV (%) pTAV (%)
1.5 30RM 1.5 40RM
%DC (%)

%DC (%)

1.0
1.0

Pearson's r = +0.80 0.5 Pearson's r = +0.97

0.5
0.0
18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34
pTAV (%) pTAV (%)

b)

Figure 14. Correlation between %DC and pTAV for different mixes. (a) Control mix (b) RAP mixes.
 ROAD MATERIALS AND PAVEMENT DESIGN 21

7.4. Correlation between SI and pTAV based on MIST conditioning

Figure 15(a,b) depicts the correlation between pTAV and SI. Pearson’s r was observed to range from
+0.81 to +0.97 thereby indicating that a ‘good’ to ‘excellent’ correlation exists between pTAV and SI.
Hence, increase in pTAV enhances the propensity of the mix to swell and increase in volume. This may
be attributed to the improved ease with which water may flow in the sample as pTAV increases.
RC analysis revealed that Equation V (Exponential function) best described the variation of SI as a
function pTAV. Table 8 tabulates the fitted parameters.
Finally, Equation (15) facilitates the interconversion from pTAV to SI:

SI = ea+(b/(pTAV+c)) . (15)

8. Statistical analysis
To comprehend whether varying stress cycles of MIST caused significant transitions in the evaluated
parameters (TAV, CAV, S, %DC and SI) of this study, the statistical analysis of One-Way Analysis of

3.5
CM
3.0
2.5
SI (%)

2.0
1.5 Pearson's r = +0.93

1.0
0.5
0.0
10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
pTAV (%)
a)
2.0
10RM 1.5 20RM
1.5
SI (%)

SI (%)

1.0
1.0
Pearson's r = +0.86 Pearson's r = +0.90
0.5
0.5
9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 33
pTAV (%) pTAV (%)
1.5 30RM 1.5 40RM
SI (%)

SI (%)

1.0
1.0

0.5 Pearson's r = +0.97

Pearson's r = +0.81
0.5
0.0
18 21 24 27 30 33 21 24 27 30 33
pTAV (%) pTAV (%)
b)

Figure 15. Correlation between SI and pTAV for different mixes. (a) Control mix (b) RAP mixes.
22 B. SHOWKAT AND D. SINGH

Table 9. Nomenclature for statistical analysis.

Subset Notation
0 stress cycles 1st
1000 stress cycles 2nd
2000 stress cycles 3rd
3500 stress cycles 4th
5000 stress cycles 5th
10,000 stress cycles 6th

Variance (ANOVA) was adopted. Three a priori assumptions were formulated for the analysis: One, the
compared groups are independent, two, the measurement variable is normally distributed and three,
the variances of compared groups are identical. Regarding the first assumption, the samples were
assumed to come from the same population and were split into different subsets. The second assump-
tion was validated using the Shapiro Wilk normality test. Finally, the third assumption was validated
using the Levene’s test. The hypothesis framework for One-Way ANOVA is as follows:

H0 : μ1 = μ2 = . . . = μk (Population means of all subsets are the same).

Ha : μi = μj for i = j (Population means of at least two subsets are different).

Since One-Way ANOVA is an omnibus test, a significant result indicates that at least two compared
groups differ from each other but it does not identify the groups that differ. Hence, a posteriori con-
trast analysis (post hoc test) which conducts a pairwise comparison between various groups is required
once the One-Way ANOVA is completed. In this study, Tukey test has been adopted. This test was
chosen since it has the advantage in maintaining α equal to the chosen LOS (0.05 for this study).
Furthermore, the control and RAP mix subsets subjected to varying cycles of MIST have been nomen-
clatured as depicted in Table 9. Moreover, while conducting the comparison between various datasets,
symbol ‘’ has been adopted. The symbol is a caret which is a logical symbol for ‘and’. For instance,
1st  2nd depicts that ‘subsets subjected to 0 and 1000 stress cycles’ are being compared.

8.1. Statistical analysis for pTAV and CAV

Table 10 depicts the results of One-Way ANOVA and Tukey test (post hoc to ANOVA) for all the com-
puted structural parameters of control and RAP mixes. Computed p-values are indicated for each
compared dataset. Moreover, ‘Y’ and ‘N’ in the brackets depicts ‘Yes, the difference is statistically sig-
nificant’ and ‘No, the difference is not statistically significant’, respectively. In case of CM, the transition
of stress cycles from 0 to 1000, 3500–5000 and 5000–10,000 significantly affected the TAV. Interest-
ingly, for 10RM and 20RM, no evidence was observed for the statistically significant effect of varying
stress cycles on TAV. Furthermore, for 30RM and 40RM, only the initial 1000 stress cycles were observed
to impart statistically significant effect on TAV and thereafter, no support was observed for H0. The
p-value can alternatively be interpreted as the susceptibility of a mix to undergo the change in the
measured parameter as a function of applied stress cycles. Hence, statistically significant result will
indicate a major increment or decrement in the parameter which is not preferred. Based on such a
method of interpretation, it can be commented that the incorporation of RAP has rendered the mix
less susceptible to change in TAV caused due to application of stress cycles of MIST. However, such
an interpretation of susceptibility is non-directional i.e. it does not indicate whether the measured
parameter has increased or decreased.
Considering the effect on CAV, in case of CM, the impact of various stress cycles was statistically sig-
nificant while transitioning from 0 to 1000, 1000 to 2000 and 3500 to 5000 stress cycles (Table 10). For
10RM, 30RM and 40RM, CAV was significantly affected during the initial 1000 stress cycles. The excep-
tion was 20RM which illustrated statistically significant difference in CAV in two domains of stress cycle
application: one, 0–1000 stress cycles and two, 2000–3500 stress cycles. Considering the interpretation
Table 10. One-Way ANOVA and Tukey significance test results.
One-Way ANOVA p-value from Tukey (Post hoc test)

Parameter Mix type F-value p-value 1st  2nd 2nd  3rd 3rd  4th 4th  5th 5th  6th
Percent change in CM 49.740 p < 0.001 (Y) 0.016 (Y) 0.470 (N) 0.986 (N) 0.012 (Y) 0.006 (Y)
TAV (%) 10RM 1.614 0.230 (N) 0.951 (N) 0.999 (N) 0.999 (N) 0.986 (N) 0.999 (N)
20RM 3.270 0.043 (Y) 0.703 (N) 0.995 (N) 0.992 (N) 0.994 (N) 0.990 (N)
30RM 10.849 p < 0.001 (Y) 0.019 (Y) 0.999 (N) 0.987 (N) 0.847 (N) 0.943 (N)
40RM 33.189 p < 0.001 (Y) p < 0.001 (Y) 0.896 (N) 0.577 (N) 0.934 (N) 0.999 (N)
CAV (%) CM 87.858 p < 0.001 (Y) p < 0.001 (Y) 0.008 (Y) 0.989 (N) 0.012 (Y) 0.054 (N)
10RM 63.248 p < 0.001 (Y) p < 0.001 (Y) 0.224 (N) 0.329 (N) 0.498 (N) 0.127 (N)
20RM 111.918 p < 0.001 (Y) p < 0.001 (Y) 0.257 (N) 0.023 (Y) 0.606 (N) 0.189 (N)
30RM 90.477 p < 0.001 (Y) p < 0.001 (Y) 0.676 (N) 0.129 (N) 0.791 (N) 0.053 (N)
40RM 41.821 p < 0.001 (Y) p < 0.001 (Y) 0.999 (N) 0.406 (N) 0.767 (N) 0.491 (N)
S (%) CM 739.493 p < 0.001 (Y) p < 0.001 (Y) 0.038 (Y) 0.539 (N) 0.871 (N) 0.015 (Y)
10RM 58.447 p < 0.001 (Y) p < 0.001 (Y) 0.290 (N) 0.349 (N) 0.994 (N) 0.050 (Y)
20RM 1968.010 p < 0.001 (Y) p < 0.001 (Y) p < 0.001 (Y) p < 0.001 (Y) 0.002 (Y) p < 0.001 (Y)
30RM 384.656 p < 0.001 (Y) p < 0.001 (Y) p < 0.001 (Y) 0.001 (Y) 0.470 (N) 0.001 (Y)

ROAD MATERIALS AND PAVEMENT DESIGN

40RM 739.493 p < 0.001 (Y) p < 0.001 (Y) p < 0.001 (Y) p < 0.001 (Y) 0.102 (N) 0.001 (Y)
%DC (%) CM 17.123 0.210 – 0.296 (N) 0.659 (N) 0.066 (N) 0.999(N)
10RM 127.502 p < 0.001 (Y) – p < 0.001 (Y) 0.085 (N) 0.163 (N) 0.942 (N)
20RM 236.398 p < 0.001 (Y) – p < 0.001 (Y) 0.145 (N) 0.001 (Y) 0.637 (N)
30RM 9.014 0.002 (Y) – 0.047 (Y) 0.982 (N) 0.752 (N) 0.999 (N)
40RM 11.531 0.324 0.100 (N) 0.911 (N) 0.387 (N) 0.992 (N)
SI (%) CM 18.334 0.311 – 0.277 (N) 0.655 (N) 0.051 (N) 0.999 (N)
10RM 273.79 p < 0.001 (Y) – p < 0.001 (Y) 0.027 (Y) 0.042 (Y) 0.999 (N)
20RM 228.351 p < 0.001 (Y) – p < 0.001 (Y) 0.190 (N) 0.001 (Y) 0.690 (N)
30RM 10.576 0.001 (Y) – 0.032 (Y) 0.975 (N) 0.666 (N) 0.999 (N)
40RM 12.270 0.215 – 0.142 (N) 0.999 (N) 0.805 (N) 0.999 (N)

23
24 B. SHOWKAT AND D. SINGH

based on susceptibility, it can be observed that the incorporation of RAP has lowered the susceptibility
of TAV to convert to CAV on application of various stress cycles using MIST.

8.2. Statistical analysis for S, %DC and SI

As far as impact on S is concerned, stress cycles were observed to have statistically significant effect
in three stress cycle windows: 0–1000, 1000–2000 and 5000–10,000 in case of CM (Table 10). For the
transition of stress cycles from 2000 to 3500 and 3500–5000 the impact on S was not observed to
be significant. In case of 10RM, stress cycles were observed to have statistically significant effect only
during stress application from 0 to 1000 and 5000 to 10,000 stress cycles. For 20RM, all stress cycle
increments were observed to have statistically significant effect on S. However, for 30RM and 40RM,
except for stress cycle increase from 3500 to 5000, remaining all stress cycle increments illustrated a
statistically significant effect on S. From the point of view of effect of RAP on susceptibility, it can be
observed that increasing amounts of RAP has led the mix to be more susceptible to changes in S on
application of varying stress cycles of MIST.
The statistical analysis of impact of MIST conditioning on %DC revealed that for CM, various stress
cycle increments have no statistically significant effect on density (Table 10). However, for 10RM, 30RM
and 40RM, only the increment in stress cycles from 1000 to 2000 caused the significant changes in the
density. 20RM was an exception where the statistically significant change in density was observed
while incrementing the stress cycles from 1000 to 2000 and 3500 to 5000. From the point of view
of susceptibility interpretation, changes in %DC on account of varying stress cycles of the MIST, may
be a concern till 20RM. However, beyond that, the susceptibility shows a decrease as is indicated by
majority of statistically insignificant results for 30RM and 40RM.
Finally, various stress cycles of MIST were observed to have no statistically significant influence on
SI of CM and 40RM. However, for 10RM, stress cycles of up to 5000 and for 20RM, stress cycles windows
of 1000–2000 and 3500–5000 were observed to significantly affect the SI of the samples. Moreover,
for 30RM, only the first 2000 stress cycles affected the SI. Hence, the inclusion of RAP may be expected
to decrement the susceptibility of asphalt mixes to swell.

9. Conclusions
This work aimed at understanding the effect of varying stress cycles of MIST on various structural
parameters of control and RAP mixes. Hence, Superpave method of mix design was adopted to deter-
mine the design binder content for control and RAP mixes and thereafter, the mix samples at design
binder content were prepared using SGC. Mix samples were subjected to varying stress cycles of MIST.
Gmb tests were conducted on the compacted samples and several parameters were evaluated. The
current study has following conclusions to offer:

1. With the increase in stress cycles of MIST, pTAV was observed to increase for both control and RAP
mixes. RAP was observed to decrease the percent change in TAV beyond 3500 stress cycles when
compared to control mix. Such observation indicated that RAP has the potential to mitigate the
damage caused due to moisture intrusion.
2. CAV was observed to increase with the increase in stress cycles of MIST for both control and RAP
mixes. CAV for RAP mixes was higher than the control mix in unconditioned state. However, at
each of the applied stress cycles, CAV for RAP mixes was observed to decrease with the increase
in RAP proportion.
3. S recorded an increase for both control and RAP mixes as the stress cycles of MIST was incremented
from 0 to 10,000 cycles. However, with the incorporation of RAP in the mix, although S decreased
with the increasing proportion of RAP at each of the applied stress cycles, S for RAP mixes was still
higher than that of CM.
 ROAD MATERIALS AND PAVEMENT DESIGN 25

4. %DC and SI were observed to increase for both the control and RAP mixes with the increase in
stress cycles of the MIST. Both %DC and SI showed a sharp increase at 3500 stress cycles. Such
an increase indicated weakening of the mix as a response to increasing stress cycles. With the
inclusion of RAP, %DC and SI were observed to decrease with the increasing proportion of RAP.
5. Correlation study indicated that ‘excellent’ correlation existed between CAV and pTAV for both
control and RAP mixes (R2 from +0.95 to +0.99). ‘Excellent’ correlation was observed for S and
pTAV (R2 from +0.92 to +0.99). Furthermore, both %DC and pTAV, and SI and pTAV depicted
‘good’ to ‘excellent’ correlation.
6. One-way ANOVA and post hoc Tukey were performed to ascertain the significance of changes
in the evaluated parameters as a response to various stress cycles of MIST. CM was observed
to exhibit higher probability of undergoing significant changes in TAV as compared to RAP
mixes. However, RAP mixes depicted higher degree of susceptibility to get saturated due to
the application of various stress cycles as compared to the control mix. Incremental differ-
ences in %DC and SI as response to applied stress cycles statistically decreased on inclusion
of RAP.

This work aimed at understanding the impact of varying stress cycles of MIST on various parameters
(TAV, CAV, S, %DC and SI) of control and RAP mixes. Although, changes in the evaluated parameters
was observed with the variation of stress cycles of MIST, this work refrained from analysing in detail
the transformations that occur in the internal structure of the asphalt mixes which thereafter cause
the changes in the parameters. Hence, it is recommended that the changes in the internal structure of
control and RAP mixes due to MIST conditioning be studied using advanced techniques such as X-ray
Computed Tomography (CT).

Acknowledgement
Also, the authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay. We
also express gratitude towards Mr. Bhagwan Shinde (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, BMC) for assisting in supply of
materials utilised in the current work.

Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s.

Funding
The authors would like to thank Industrial Research and Consultancy Centre (IRCC), IIT Bombay, for providing financial
support through project no. 17DST006, to purchase Moisture-Induced Stress Tester (MIST) utilised in the research work.

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