Standard Practice for

Laboratory Conditioning
of Asphalt Mixtures

AASHTO Designation: R 30-221

Technically Revised: 2022 Editorially Revised: 2022

Technical Subcommittee: 2c, Asphalt–Aggregate Mixtures

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials

555 12th Street NW, Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20004

© 2022 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.
Standard Practice for

Laboratory Conditioning of Asphalt Mixtures

AASHTO Designation: R 30-22 1
Technically Revised: 2022 Editorially Revised: 2022

Technical Subcommittee: 2c, Asphalt–Aggregate Mixtures

1. SCOPE
1.1. This standard practice describes procedures for laboratory conditioning of compacted and
uncompacted asphalt mixtures. Two types of conditioning are described: (1) short-term mixture
conditioning for volumetric mixture design and mechanical property testing (both of which
simulate the precompaction phase of the construction process); and (2) long-term conditioning for
mixture mechanical property testing to simulate the aging that occurs in a dense-graded surface
layer over the first one to three years of a pavementʼs life. The procedures for long-term
conditioning for mixture mechanical property testing are preceded by the procedure for short-term
conditioning. Further information on short- and long-term conditioning is given in NCHRP
Report 815.

1.2. This standard practice may involve hazardous materials, operations, and equipment. This
standard does not purport to address all of the safety problems associated with its use. It is the
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and
determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

2. REFERENCED DOCUMENTS
2.1. AASHTO Standards:
 M 339M/M 339, Thermometers Used in the Testing of Construction Materials
 R 68, Preparation of Asphalt Mixtures by Means of the Marshall Apparatus
 T 312, Preparing and Determining the Density of Asphalt Mixture Specimens
by Means of the Superpave Gyratory Compactor

2.2. ASTM Standards:

 E1, Standard Specification for ASTM Liquid‐in‐Glass Thermometers
 E230/E230M, Standard Specification for Temperature‐Electromotive Force (emf) Tables for
Standardized Thermocouples

2.3. International Electrotechnical Commission Standard:

 IEC 60584‐1: 2013 Thermocouples ‐ Part 1: EMF Specifications and Tolerances

2.4. Reference:
 NCHRP. NCHRP Report 815: Short-Term Conditioning of Asphalt Mixtures. National
Cooperative Highway Research Program Project 09-52, TRB, National Research Council,
Washington, DC, 2015

TS-2c R 30-1 AASHTO

© 2022 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.
3. SUMMARY OF PRACTICE
For short-term mixture conditioning, a mixture of aggregate and binder is conditioned in a forced-
draft oven for 2 h at 116°C for warm mix asphalt (WMA) and at 135°C for hot mix asphalt
(HMA). For long-term mixture conditioning, a compacted mixture of aggregate and binder is
conditioned in a forced-draft oven for 5 days at 85°C.

4. SIGNIFICANCE AND USE

The properties and performance of asphalt mixtures can be more accurately predicted by using
conditioned test samples. The short-term mixture conditioning is designed to allow for binder
absorption during the mixture design and to simulate the plant-mixing effects on the mixture. The
long-term mixture conditioning is designed to simulate the aging a compacted dense-graded
surface mixture will undergo during the first one to three years of service.

5. APPARATUS
5.1. Oven—A forced-draft oven, thermostatically controlled, capable of maintaining any desired
temperature setting from room temperature to 176°C within ±3°C. Oven(s) shall be capable of
operation at the temperatures required, as corrected, if necessary, by standardization. More than
one oven may be used, provided each is used within its proper operating temperature range.

5.2. Thermometers—Thermometers for measuring the temperature of materials shall meet the
requirements of M 339M/M 339 with a temperature range of at least 25 to 185°C, and an accuracy
of ±0.75°C (see Note 1).
Note 1—Thermometer types suitable for use include ASTM E1 mercury thermometers; ASTM
E230/E230M thermocouple thermometer, Type T, Special Class; or IEC 60584 thermocouple
thermometer, Type T, Class 1.

5.3. Miscellaneous—A metal pan for heating aggregates, a shallow metal pan for heating uncompacted
asphalt mixtures, a metal spatula or spoon, timer, and gloves for handling hot equipment.

6. HAZARDS
6.1. This standard involves the handling of hot binder, aggregate, and asphalt mixtures, which can
cause severe burns if allowed to contact skin. Follow standard safety precautions to avoid burns.

7. MIXTURE CONDITIONING PROCEDURES

7.1. Short-Term Mixture Conditioning:

7.1.1. The short-term mixture conditioning applies to laboratory-prepared, loose mixtures only. No
mixture conditioning is required when conducting quality control or acceptance testing on plant-
produced mixtures.
Note 2—The agency may identify the need to heat the plant-produced mixture to its compaction
temperature to represent field conditions. NCHRP Report 815 observed some volumetric
differences between short-term aged LMLC (laboratory-mixed/laboratory-compacted) specimens
and corresponding PMPC (plant-mixed/plant-compacted) specimens when using highly absorptive
aggregates.

TS-2c R 30-2 AASHTO

© 2022 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.
7.1.2. Place the mixture in a pan, and spread it to an even thickness ranging between 25 and 50 mm.
Place the mixture and pan in a forced-draft oven for 2 h ± 5 min at a temperature of 116 ± 3°C for
WMA or 135 ± 3°C for HMA.
Note 3—For modified binders, the agency should consider the manufacturer’s recommendations
for compaction temperatures as the conditioning temperature.

7.1.3. Stir the mixture after 60 ± 5 min to maintain uniform conditioning.

Note 4—Short-term conditioning is now applicable to both determination of volumetric
properties as well as mechanical tests intended to assess the behavior of the mixture in the early
years of the pavement’s life (e.g., rutting tests). Prior versions of this standard included a section
titled “Short-Term Conditioning for Mixture and Mechanical Property Testing”, which required
conditioning for 4 h ± 5 min at 135 ± 3°C. That requirement has since been deleted. Specification
limits developed based on the prior conditioning requirement may no longer be appropriate.

7.1.4. After 2 h ± 5 min, remove the mixture from the forced-draft oven. The conditioned mixture is
now ready for compaction or testing.

7.2. Long-Term Mixture Conditioning:

7.2.1. The long-term conditioning procedure applies to laboratory-prepared asphalt mixtures that have
been subjected to the short-term conditioning procedure described in Section 7.1, plant-mixed
asphalt mixtures, and compacted roadway specimens.

7.2.2. Preparing Samples for Long-Term Mixture Conditioning:

7.2.2.1. When preparing compacted specimens from loose asphalt mixtures, compact the specimens in
accordance with one of the following methods: Superpave Gyratory Compactor (T 312) or
Marshall Apparatus (R 68). Following compaction, completely cool the test specimen.
Note 5—Specimen cooling may be scheduled as an overnight step, but may be accelerated by
placing the specimen in front of a fan.

7.2.2.2. Prior to long-term conditioning of field cores, samples must be cut, trimmed, and dried to a
constant mass.

7.2.3. Place the compacted test specimens in the conditioning oven for 120 ± 0.5 h at a temperature of
85 ± 3°C.

7.2.4. After 120 ± 0.5 h, turn the oven off; open the doors, and allow the test specimen to cool to room
temperature. Do not touch or remove the specimen until it has cooled to room temperature.
Note 6—Cooling to room temperature will take approximately 16 h.

7.2.5. After cooling to room temperature, remove the test specimen from the oven. The long-term-
conditioned specimen is now ready for testing as required.

8. REPORT
8.1. Report the binder grade, binder content (nearest 0.1 percent), and the aggregate type and
gradation, if applicable.

8.2. Report the following short-term mixture conditioning information:

8.2.1. Mixture conditioning temperature in laboratory (nearest 1°C); and

TS-2c R 30-3 AASHTO

© 2022 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.
8.2.2. Mixture conditioning duration in laboratory (nearest minute).

8.3. Report the following long-term conditioning information, if applicable:

8.3.1. Long-term mixture conditioning temperature in laboratory (nearest 1°C); and

8.3.2. Long-term mixture conditioning duration in laboratory (nearest 5 min).

9. KEYWORDS
9.1. Asphalt mixtures; conditioning; HMA; long-term conditioning; short-term conditioning; WMA.

1
This standard is based on SHRP Product 1031.

TS-2c R 30-4 AASHTO

© 2022 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.