New tests for modified bitumens and mixes with RAP

This month we learn about a new test

which is helping to predict the performance of
asphalt mixtures containing recycled materials and
modifiers, and we showcase some of the new
testing equipment recently launched - writes
Kristina Smith.

Researchers in the US have come up with a

new test to help owners and contractors better predict
the performance of their roads. “The problem is that
the current tests cannot determine the performance of
new materials,” said Dr Haleh Azari, manager of the
AASHTO Advanced Pavement Research Laboratory
(AAPRL) at the National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST). These new materials include
mixtures containing reclaimed Asphalt pavement
(RAP) and reclaimed Asphalt shingles (RAS), warm
mixes and asphalt containing ground tyre rubber and
recycled engine oil and fuel.
“In the US they are seeing less and less
rutting on the roads because they are adding more and
more RAP,” said Azari. “On the other hand, roads are
failing with fatigue cracking and very early ageing.
They try to counter that by adding rejuvenators, but there is often a high variability in the mix leading
to spots where the road fails.”
In States including Utah and Illinois, the Hamburg Wheel Tracker tests were showing that
mixtures with RAP were meeting performance criteria, but in practice they were failing. “They were
expecting 20 years but after five years, the roads were falling apart due to problems with fatigue,” said
Azari.
In Florida, the opposite problem was occurring. Tests on polymer modified bitumen (PMB)
using the flow number test showed the mixture would fail early due to rutting, but in the field these
roads were resistant to rutting.
“The existing tests show that the bitumen grade is the same as before but in reality with the
addition of modifiers the performance is changed significantly,” said Azari. “That is why there is the
need for tests that reliably determine how the new materials will perform in the field. Our new test
does determine the change in performance. It is very sensitive to the property of the material.”
Azari and Dr Alaeddin Mohseni, president of Pavement Systems, have developed the
incremental repeated load permanent deformation (iRLPD) tests. These are a series of unified
performance tests that, based on the same methodology, can be used on asphalt mixes, bitumen and on
the „mastic‟ extracted from an asphalt mix. They have also developed a modified version of the tests
for bitumen emulsions.
There are 10 versions of the iRLPD test, designed to determine a range of performance
characteristics of bitumen materials. The iRLPD test for rutting is to become a provisional AASHTO
standard with the researchers planning to progress the other tests in the same direction.
Unlike existing tests which can take hours or days, the tests can be conducted in less than half
an hour using the same specimen at different stress levels or temperatures. In the laboratory they can
be done with existing equipment: for the mixtures, any dynamic triaxial loading machine which can be
temperature controlled, perhaps by putting it in an environmental chamber; for the bitumen and
mastic, a regular dynamic shear rheometer (DSR).
Azari and Dr Mohseni are also talking to manufacturers in the US and Europe about
developing simpler machines which can be used out in the field for fast quality control. “These tests
could be really useful to use alongside existing test methods,” said Dr Mohseni. “Because you can test
the end product – what the bitumen becomes once it is put into the mix – you can determine the
difference in performance of different mastics. And contractors will be able to use it to optimise the
mix design.”
The researchers have spoken to road authorities in several European countries and will be
speaking at conferences around the world, including Qatar and Italy. They are looking for laboratories
in other countries who want to participate in a cooperative research study, comparing results in the lab
and the field.
“The goal is working towards the full development and implementation of the new test
methods,” said Azari. The researchers have devised a two-year plan to characterise mixtures from
various regions of the world, to provide on-site demonstrations and training, and to conduct round
robin testing of a standard material to ensure agencies are skilled to perform the tests and to prepare
the tests to AASHTO and or ISO test methods. “After that, the next step is introducing it into
pavement design,” said Azari. Cracks in asphalt roads can occur due to fatigue and early ageing and
cause major problems

Controls
CONTROLS PAVELAB SYSTEMS is now offering three versions of the Hamburg Wheel
Tracker: one to test to European standards, one for US standards, and a third version aimed at
developing markets which comes without the sliding safety covers, at a more competitive price.
Wheel trackers measure rutting and moisture damage of asphalt paving mixtures by rolling a
wheel across the surface of a specimen. The
European standard EN 12697- 22 requires a
rubber wheel with tests carried out in the dry
or in the wet; the AASHTO T324 standard
calls for steel wheels tested in the wet.
Controls‟ Hamburg Wheel Tester can test
two specimens of different dimensions
simultaneously, although it cannot be used
with a rubber wheel on one side and a steel
one on the other. All three models benefit
from the same Windows software.
“The operator can set the target
temperature for the test, set the maximum
depth the rutting must reach or the number
of passes and then leave the machine to do
the tests,” explained Controls engineer
Matteo Dal Ben. “You could leave it
overnight, come back in the morning and
export all the data in order to produce the report for the client.”
The standard wheel load for all models is 705N, with heavier weight models available on
request. Speed is adjustable from 20-30 cycles/minute and each wheel is fitted with rut depth
transducers to measure ruts from 0-25 mm deep, plus or minus 0.01mm. Water temperature can be
varied from 25-70°C, plus or minus 1°C, as required by the standards. The European and US versions
of the wheel tracker were launched in late 2013 with the cover-
free version released in May this year. “We have sold a lot of
these machines,” said dal Ben. “And we are still getting a lot of
enquiries, particularly from North and South America.”

Humboldt

Humboldt manufacturing has launched a new crack

monitoring device for long-term monitoring of concrete structures
such as bridges and retaining walls. With integrated data logging
to record displacement and ambient temperature, the monitors
have been designed for ease of use and minimised visual impact.
“We get a lot of demand for crack monitoring equipment
so this new product is quite exciting for us,” said John Lamond,
general manager, sales and marketing for Humboldt. The ability to measure temperature is important
for those studying the effects of temperature variation on a crack or element, added Lamond.
There are two versions of crack monitor: the HC-2955 and the HC-2956. The former allows
data to be downloaded to a PC using a mini USB cable. The latter downloads wirelessly at a distance
of up to 150m. They are configured using a graphic user interface which runs on Windows.
With an internal battery which lasts up to five years, the crack monitors can be installed in
areas which are difficult to access, saving the time and cost of repeated visits to use manual devices.
There are health and safety benefits too said Lamond, “The Bluetooth option means that the engineer
can simply get to within 150m of the device and download the data. So there‟s no need for lifting
devices, scaffolding or difficult access challenges.”
The device measures cracks and linear displacements using a rotary, precision potentiometer
which is driven by winding and unwinding a stainless steel wire which can measure a displacement of
up to 80mm at a resolution of 0.003mm. It is also possible to add an extension to the steel cable to
monitor cracks over wide expanses or areas that are not readily accessible, such as bridge decks,
multifaceted structures and other hard-to-reach places. The frequency of readings for the USB crack
monitoring device is adjustable between 10 seconds and 91 hours. For the Bluetooth version, this is
adjustable between 1 minute and 92 hours.

Pavetest
Pavetest, a new division of Matest based in
Australia, has developed its own version of the Asphalt
Mixture Performance Tester (AMPT). Run by CEO Con
Sinadinos and technical director Alan Feeley, both formerly
of IPC Global, Pavetest aims to combine Australian design
with Italian manufacturing.
The original AMPT was introduced in 2001.
Pavetest‟s version, developed by Sinadinos and Feeley in
2013, is “the next generation” of AMPTs, it says, with a
number of developments to improve reliability, usability and
environmental performance.
Notable features flagged up by the manufacturer
include the built-in air compressor. “This eliminates the risk
posed by moisture and contamination from often sub-
standard air supplies and makes the unit truly „standalone‟,”
says Pavetest.
Another development from original versions is the
hydraulic power supply which is based on inverter
technology. This means that the speed of the hydraulic pump
is reduced when maximum oil flow is not required, which is
most of the time. “Operating the pump at slower speeds reduces noise, power consumption and heat
generated,” said Pavetest.

http://www.worldhighways.com/categories/asphalt-paving-compaction-testing/features/new-tests-for-
modified-bitumens-and-mixes-with-rap/