PAVEMENT SURFACING BY MARSHALL MIX DESIGN METHOD

General: Mixes vary widely. Harder bitumen grades offset disadvantages from less satisfactory aggregate and
grading; softer grades, cutback and emulsions are with stronger bases. Factors in design: traffic mix, intensity
and climate conditions. Design to determine optimum proportions of aggregate, fillers and binders for durable
impermeable surface withstanding deformations. Developed in Mississippi Highway Dept. by Bruce Marshall.
Purpose: Users: Skid free surface, drains freely, minimum splash & spay in rain, good visibility and riding
quality, acceptable noise; Engineering: protects underlying layers, minimum maintenance, economical.
Types: Continuously Graded Asphalt (Asphaltic Concrete): low air voids, soft/penetration bitumen (60/70 &
80/100), low permeability, good durability & fatigue factor. Grading-bitumen to balance stability-duration.
Gap Graded Asphalt with uniform size of aggregate or sizes missing, blended with fine aggregate, filler and
binder deriving stability from the mortar of binder-sand-filler, less from particle interlocking. Harder bitumen
of 40/50 or 60/70 used. Coarse aggregate content limited to 55% for <75mm surface for easy compaction.
Open Graded Asphalt is used because of safety reasons or high intensity traffic. It has skid resistance,
reduction of splash and spray, and noise level. It is permeable, must be laid over impermeable asphalt layer.
Other premixes: Bitumen Macadam is continuously graded but with less dense aggregate structure; Rolled
Asphalt is a gap-graded mix that relay on the mortar of bitumen, filler <0,075mm and fine aggregate of 0,075-
2,36mm with proportion of coarse aggregate >55%. If it is <40% coated chippings provide the texture (skid!).
Table 1. Typical continuous gradation - Cumulative percentage by mass passing sieve
Sieve size Coarse Medium Fine
mm 19mm 13,2mm 9,5mm
19,0 100 - -
13,2 84-100 100 -
9,5 70-92 82-100 100
4,75 50-70 54-75 64-80
2,36 37-55 40-67 48-70
1,18 26-41 27-42 32-54
0,600 18-32 18-32 24-40
0,300 12-23 12-23 16-28
0,150 7-16 7-16 10-20
0,075 4-10 4-10 4-12
Continuously Graded Asphalt – Design criteria to be applied to the various categories of traffic.
Traffic category Heavy Medium Light
Equivalent 80kN single axle per > 150 50 - 150 < 50
day per lane
No of compaction blows each end 75 75 75
of specimen
Stability (kN) Min Max Min Max Min Max
3.0 12.5 2 12.5 2.2 12.5
Flow (mm) 2.0 4.0 2.0 4.0 2.0 4.0
Air void (%) 3.0 5.0 3.0 5.0 3.0 5.0
Immersion index (%) 75 - 75 - 75 -
Maximum size of aggregate (mm) 19.0 13.2 9.5
VMA (%) 14.0 15.0 16.0
Coarse aggregate: crushed rock, blast furnace slag, free of deleterious matter, weathered and disintegrated
particles, cubic shape particles and uniform in quality.
Coarse aggregate in bitumen mixes
Property Test Specification
Particle shape Flakiness Index < 45%
Strength Aggregate Crushing Value (ACV) < 25%
Aggregate Impact Value (AIV) < 25%
Los Angeles Abrasion Value (LAA) < 30% (wearing course) <35% (other)
Polishing Polished stone value 50-75%
Water absorption Water absorption < 2%

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Fine aggregate: sand, gravel, crushed rock, slag, or a blend of these three. It should be clean and free from
clay and deleterious coating. The shape affects workability of mix and its resistance to deformation.
Filler: mineral matter composed of particles < 75 mill microns, may be fine dust, stone dust, fly ash, hydrated
lime, Portland cement or blast furnace or combination. Filler acts as an extender of binder, has 2 functions:
acts as void filler for dense durable mix and imparts greater stability and stiffens the mix. Mix stiffening
depends on volume concentration of filler & packing properties, with high void contents for better stiffening.
Engineering properties of asphalt surfacing:
Stability: ability to resist permanent deformation under repeated or static loads, affected by frictional
resistance inter- and intra- particles, cohesion and inertia (Well-graded tightly interlocking with min. voids)
Flexibility: ability to conform to long-term variations in the profile.
Fatigue resistance: flexural fatigue as a result of high traffic provides for cracking, more in untreated crushed
stone bases. In thin surfacing it is associated with higher binder content, non-angular voids.
Skid resistance: good resistance goes with good stability.
Permeability: high degree of impermeability promotes long-term durability and protect supporting layers.
Fracture strength: tensile forces (loading & temperature) require increase of binder content & filler proportion.
Workability: easy to handle in practice, increase with binder content, decreased binder viscosity, less angular
aggregate. Generally, dense continuously graded mixtures are less workable than gap and open graded mixes.
Thermal characteristics: Volume changes with temperature to be restricted - constraints such as bond, friction
between surfacing and base, differential temperature changes in thick layers lead to cracking - cyclic stresses.
Characteristics tests on aggregate: Sieve analysis; Specific gravity; LAA (Los Angeles Abrasion test); ACV
(Aggregate Crushing Value); AIV (Aggregate Impact Value).
Characteristics tests on bitumen:
Penetration test: for determining the consistency of bitumen to identify its grade and hardness. mm.
Softening point: for consistency and tendency to flow.
Marshall mix test: Apparatus: Baking tins, enamel bowls 5lt capacity; ovens, thermometers, balance 3lt
capacity; constant temperature water bath; garden trowel, spatula, moulds, collars, base plates, mould holder;
compaction hammer; sample extruder; gloves; loading machine, Marshall stability breaking head.
Materials: Coarse aggregate, Fine aggregate, Mineral, Bitumen
Proportions to what course, method (graphical method), combinations mixed to 1200g for each binder content.
Compaction of samples: Mixed aggregate & binder placed in oven and heated; mould hammer, base plate &
collar heated in hot water to 60 0C; aggregate heated to 280C above temperature of 1410C; removed from oven,
placed into clean bowl; mixed until attain uniform temperature of 169 0C; a hole is made in the sample to take
in the binder; binder poured into sample, mixed thoroughly and rapidly; at temperature of 124 0C mould, collar
and base plate are assembled, mix transferred to mould with filter paper at bottom and top of sample;
compacted at 75 blows each side, then immersed in water, extruded and the height of specimen measured.
Bulk density determined = weight in air divided by the difference between weight in air and weight in water.
Marshal stability: Specimens and testing heads immersed in water bath at 60 0C for 1 hour, specimens removed
one by one and placed on its side between upper and lower segments of testing heads; center assembly, zero
gauge, apply load at the rate 50.8mm/minute. The maximum load sustained is known as the Marshall stability.
Computations for Marshall mix design:
(i) Specific Gravity of Mixed Aggregate: SGMA=100/(W1/G1+W2/G2=W3/G3). W1, W2 & W3 are %
weight of loads 1, 2 & 3;Example: W1=55% load of G=2,64;W2=30% G2=2,68; W3=15% G3=3,15;
SGMA=100/(55/2,64+30/2,68+15/3,15) = 2,72
(ii) Compacted Density if Mixed Aggregate: CDMA= (Weight of compacted mixed aggregate)/(Volume of
container); Example: CDMA = (8,715x10-3kg)/(3,927x10-3m3) = 2,2kg/m3
(iii) Voids in Mixed Aggregate: VMA= [(SGMA-CDMA)/SGMA] x 100%; Example: VMA = [(2,72-
2,22)/2,72] x 100% = 18,4%; it is acceptable because it is in the range between 17% and 20%.
(iv) Optimum binder content: B = [(VMA-VIM)/CDMA] x SG of bitumen (Specific gravity of bitumen is
taken as 1,07 and VIM as 4%); Example: B = [(18,4-4,0)/2,22] x 1,07 = 6,94%
Example of optimum binder content:
Reason: For max density For max stability At 4% VIM At 70% VFB Mean content
Percent content: 6,5% 6,0% 7,5% 6,2% 6,55%