Standard Practice for Materials Selection and Mixture Design of Perm... http://hm.digital.transportation.org/HM/34/HM-34/Part_III_Practices/S...

Standard Practice for Materials Selection and Mixture Design of

Permeable Friction Courses (PFCs)
AASHTO Designation: PP 77-141

1. SCOPE

1.1. This standard covers the materials requirements and mix design of permeable friction course (PFC) asphalt
mixtures.

1.2. This standard 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 156, Requirements for Mixing Plants for Hot-Mixed, Hot-Laid Bituminous Paving Mixtures
M 231, Weighing Devices Used in the Testing of Materials
M 320, Performance-Graded Asphalt Binder
R 30, Mixture Conditioning of Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA)
T 19M/T 19, Bulk Density (“Unit Weight”) and Voids in Aggregate
T 85, Specific Gravity and Absorption of Coarse Aggregate
T 96, Resistance to Degradation of Small-Size Coarse Aggregate by Abrasion and Impact in the Los
Angeles Machine
T 104, Soundness of Aggregate by Use of Sodium Sulfate or Magnesium Sulfate
T 176, Plastic Fines in Graded Aggregates and Soils by Use of the Sand Equivalent Test
T 209, Theoretical Maximum Specific Gravity (Gmm) and Density of Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA)
T 245, Resistance to Plastic Flow of Asphalt Mixtures Using Marshall Apparatus
T 283, Resistance of Compacted Asphalt Mixtures to Moisture-Induced Damage
T 304, Uncompacted Void Content of Fine Aggregate
T 305, Determination of Draindown Characteristics in Uncompacted Asphalt Mixtures
T 312, Preparing and Determining the Density of Asphalt Mixture Specimens by Means of the Superpave
Gyratory Compactor
T 326, Uncompacted Void Content of Coarse Aggregate (As Influenced by Particle Shape, Surface
Texture, and Grading)
T 331, Bulk Specific Gravity (Gmb) and Density of Compacted Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) Using Automatic
Vacuum Sealing Method
TP 108, Abrasion Loss of Asphalt Mixture Specimens

2.2. ASTM Standards:

D3549/D3549, Standard Test Method for Thickness or Height of Compacted Bituminous Paving Mixture
Specimens
D4791, Standard Test Method for Flat Particles, Elongated Particles, or Flat and Elongated Particles in
Coarse Aggregate

3.
3.1.2. TERMINOLOGY

3.1. Definitions:

3.1.1. asphalt binder—an asphalt-based cement that is produced from petroleum residue either with or without
the addition of modifiers.

1 of 7 2016-04-20 04:11 PM
Standard Practice for Materials Selection and Mixture Design of Perm... http://hm.digital.transportation.org/HM/34/HM-34/Part_III_Practices/S...

abrasion loss—the loss of mass from an asphalt mixture specimen under the effect of abrasion.

air voids—the total volume of the small pockets of air between the coated aggregate particles throughout
a compacted paving mixture, expressed as a percent of the total volume of the compacted specimen.

breakpoint sieve—the finest sieve to retain at least 10 percent of the aggregate fraction.

draindown—separation of asphalt binder from the coarse aggregate structure, generally during storage or
transportation.

permeable friction course (PFC)—a special type of porous asphalt mixture with air voids of at least 18
percent used for reducing hydroplaning and potential for loss of friction resistance, where the function of
the mixture is to provide a free-draining layer that permits surface water to migrate laterally through the
mixture to the edge of the pavement.

stabilizing additive—materials used to minimize draindown of asphalt during transport and placement of
PFC, which may include fibers, polymers, crumb rubber, or a combination of these additives.

voids in the coarse aggregate (VCA)—the volume of voids between the coarse aggregate particles, where
this volume includes filler, fine aggregate, air voids, asphalt binder, and stabilizing additives, if used.

SUMMARY OF PRACTICE

Aggregates, asphalt binder, and stabilizing additives are selected that meet specification values. Trial
aggregate blend gradations are selected and tested to determine the design aggregate gradation. The
blends are compacted using a trial binder content in order to evaluate the trial mixes and select the design
gradation to ensure stone-on-stone contact. Once a trial gradation is selected, the asphalt binder content
is altered and the optimum asphalt binder content is selected based on meeting minimum binder content
and air void requirements and ensuring stone-on-stone contact in the mixture. Stone-on-stone content is
verified by ensuring the volume of voids in the mixture is less than or equal to the volume of voids in the
dry-rodded coarse aggregate fraction of the design gradation. The mix design is further verified by
determining the abrasion loss, which is used as an indicator of the durability of the mixture. The designed
mixture is then evaluated for resistance to moisture susceptibility.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE

The procedure described in this practice is used to select materials and design permeable friction course
mixtures that will provide good performance in terms of permeability and durability when subjected to
high volumes of traffic.

MATERIALS SELECTION

Select coarse aggregates, fine aggregates, asphalt binder, and stabilizing additives as follows.

Coarse Aggregates—Select coarse aggregate(s) meeting the requirements in Table 1.

Table 1—Coarse Aggregate Quality Requirements for PFC Mixtures

2 of 7 2016-04-20 04:11 PM
Standard Practice for Materials Selection and Mixture Design of Perm... http://hm.digital.transportation.org/HM/34/HM-34/Part_III_Practices/S...

Fine Aggregates—Select fine aggregate(s) to meet the requirements in Table 2.

Table 2—Fine Aggregate Quality Requirements for PFC Mixtures

Asphalt Binders—Performance-graded asphalt binders meeting the requirements of M 320 are selected
based on the climate and traffic. Because of the relatively high binder contents and open grading of the
aggregate, a stiff asphalt binder is needed to ensure durability. Therefore, for high-volume roadways or
pavements with slow to standing traffic, select the asphalt binder high-temperature grade two grades
higher than the asphalt binder grade required for the climate. (See Note 1.) Select the high-temperature
binder grade one grade higher than the climatic grade for all other roadways.

Note 1—Some southern states successfully use a PG 76 asphalt binder for high-volume roadways, which
is only one grade higher.

Stabilizing Additives—Stabilizing additives are needed to prevent draindown of asphalt binder from the
coarse aggregate skeleton during transportation and placement. Stabilizing additives such as cellulose
fiber, mineral fiber, crumb rubber, and polymers have been used to minimize draindown potential.

Design Gradation—In order to provide the high level of permeability desirable with permeable friction
courses, an aggregate gradation having a very open gradation is needed. Table 3 includes the specific
gradation ranges.

Table 3—PFC Gradation Specification Bands

MIX DESIGN PROCEDURE

The mixture design procedure requires determining the voids in the coarse aggregate (VCA) fraction of
each trial gradation, selecting a trial asphalt binder content, mixing and compacting samples of each trial,
and analyzing the trials to select the design gradation. Once the design gradation is selected, the binder
content is optimized.

Preparing Trial Blends:

Selection of Trial Gradations—Select at least three initial trial gradations to fall within one of the master
specification ranges shown in Table 3. The trial gradations should typically fall along the coarse and fine
limits of the gradation range, with another falling in the middle of the range. These trial gradations are
obtained by adjusting the amount of fine and coarse aggregates in each blend.

Determination of VCA in the Coarse Aggregate Fraction—Determine the void content of the coarse
aggregate fraction in the dry-rodded condition according to T 19M/T 19. Designate this as VCADRC. At the
same time, determine and record the bulk density of the coarse aggregate in the dry rodded condition, M.

3 of 7 2016-04-20 04:11 PM
Standard Practice for Materials Selection and Mixture Design of Perm... http://hm.digital.transportation.org/HM/34/HM-34/Part_III_Practices/S...

Divide M by the density of water at 25°C (77°F) to obtain the bulk specific gravity of the coarse aggregate
fraction, Gca.

Selection of Trial Asphalt Content—The minimum desired asphalt binder content (by mass of the mixture)
to provide a sufficient volume of asphalt binder for permeable friction courses is shown in Table 4. For
PFCs with aggregates having a combined bulk specific gravity less than or equal to 2.75, a trial asphalt
binder content of between 6 and 6.5 percent is recommended. If the combined aggregate bulk specific
gravity exceeds 2.75, the trial binder content may be reduced slightly.

Table 4—Minimum Asphalt Content Requirements for PFC Mixtures with Varying Bulk Specific Gravities

Preparation of Trial Blend Specimens:

Prepare Aggregates—Dry the aggregates to be used in the mixture to a constant mass and separate by
dry-sieving into individual size fractions. The following size fractions are recommended:

19.0 to 12.5 mm (3/4 to 1/2 in.)

12.5 to 9.5 mm (1/2 to 3/8 in.)
9.5 to 4.75 mm (3/8 in to No. 4)
4.75 to 2.36 mm (No. 4 to No. 8)
Passing 2.36 mm (No. 8), if 2.36 mm is breakpoint sieve
2.36 to 1.18 mm (No. 8 to No. 16), if 1.18 mm is breakpoint sieve
Passing 1.18 mm (No. 16), if 1.18 mm is breakpoint sieve

Number of Samples per Trial Blend—Prepare a total of four samples of each trial blend mixture; three
samples for determining the air void content of compacted specimens and one sample for determining the
theoretical maximum specific gravity according to T 209.

Determine the mixing and compaction temperatures in accordance with T 245, Section 3.3.1. The mixing
temperature shall be the temperature needed to produce an asphalt binder viscosity of 170 ± 20 cSt. The
compaction temperature shall be the temperature required to provide an asphalt binder viscosity of 280 ±
30 cSt. The selected temperatures may need to be changed for modified asphalt binders; in such a case,
follow the binder supplier’s guidelines for mixing and compaction temperatures.

For each test specimen, weigh into a pan the appropriate amount of each size fraction to produce the
required sample size. Mix the aggregates in each pan and place in an oven set to a temperature no more
than 28°C (50°F) above the mixing temperature determined in Section 7.3.3.

Heat the asphalt binder to the mixing temperature determined in Section 7.3.3.

When preparing PFC in the laboratory, use a mechanical mixing apparatus. Place the heated aggregate
batch into the mechanical mixing container. Add the required amounts of asphalt binder and any
stabilizing additive into the container. Mix the aggregate, asphalt binder, and stabilizing additives rapidly

4 of 7 2016-04-20 04:11 PM
Standard Practice for Materials Selection and Mixture Design of Perm... http://hm.digital.transportation.org/HM/34/HM-34/Part_III_Practices/S...

until thoroughly coated. Mixing times for PFC should be slightly longer than for conventional mixtures to
ensure that the stabilizing additives are thoroughly dispersed within the mixture. After mixing, short-term
age the PFC mixture in accordance with R 30.

Note 2—Dry-mixing fibers, if used, into the aggregate before adding the asphalt binder has been found to
help disperse the fibers uniformly throughout the mixture.

Sample Compaction—Compact three individual specimens of each trial blend at the established compaction
temperature using 50 revolutions of the Superpave gyratory compactor in accordance with T 312.

Note 3—More than 50 revolutions should not be used; PFC is relatively easy to compact in the laboratory
and exceeding this compactive effort can cause excessive aggregate breakdown.

After the samples have been compacted and are stable enough to prevent damage, extrude them from the
molds and allow them to cool. Determine the bulk specific gravity of each specimen using T 331 or by
dimensional analysis. To use dimensional analysis, determine and record the dry mass of each specimen in
grams. Determine and record the height of each specimen in centimeters in accordance with ASTM
E3549/D3549M using calibrated calipers. Determine the diameter of each specimen in centimeters as the
average of four equally spaced measurements using the calibrated calipers. Calculate the area of the
specimen using the average diameter, A = πd2/4. Calculate the volume of the specimen by multiplying the
specimen area by its average height. Calculate the bulk density of the specimen by dividing the dry mass
of the specimen by the calculated volume. Convert the bulk density into the bulk specific gravity, Gmb, by
dividing by 0.99707 g/cm3, the density of water at 25°C (77°F).

Determine the theoretical maximum specific gravity, Gmm, of the uncompacted samples according to T
209. Calculate the percent air voids (VTM) and VCAmix as shown below:

(1)

(2)

where:

Pca = percent of coarse aggregate in the mixture, based on the trial blend gradation;

Gmb = combined bulk specific gravity of the total aggregate; and

Gca = bulk specific gravity of the coarse aggregate, determined in Section 7.2.2.

Compare the VCADRC, determined in Section 7.2.2, to the VCAmix , determined in Section 7.3.9. When the
VCAmix is equal to or less than the VCADRC, stone-on-stone contact exists.

Compare each trial blend mixture to the minimum asphalt binder content, air voids, and VCAmix
requirements in Table 5. Of the three trial blends, the trial blend with the highest air void content that
meets the 18 percent minimum and exhibits stone-on-stone contact is considered the design gradation. If
none of the trail blends satisfies the requirements, repeat the process with different trial blends or
different aggregates.

Table 5—PFC Mixture Specification Requirements

5 of 7 2016-04-20 04:11 PM
Standard Practice for Materials Selection and Mixture Design of Perm... http://hm.digital.transportation.org/HM/34/HM-34/Part_III_Practices/S...

Optimize Asphalt Content and Verify Design:

Selection of Optimum Asphalt Binder Content—After selecting the design gradation, it is necessary to
evaluate different asphalt binder contents in order to select an optimum binder content. Prepare additional
samples of mixture using the design gradation and at least three different asphalt binder contents.
Typically the binder contents are at 0.5 percent increments. A total of 18 samples shall be produced: three
compacted samples for Gmb and abrasion loss testing and three uncompacted samples (one for
determination of Gmm and two for draindown testing) at each of the three asphalt binder contents.

Prepare and analyze the mixture samples as described in Sections 7.3.3 through 7.3.10.

Abrasion Loss—Test three compacted specimens of the design gradation at each asphalt binder content in
accordance with TP 108.

Note 4—Some states have reported successful PFC mixtures with up to 20 percent abrasion loss.

Draindown Sensitivity—Determine the draindown sensitivity of two uncompacted samples of the design
gradation at each asphalt binder content in accordance with T 305, except use a 2.36 mm wire basket.
Conduct the draindown testing at a temperature of 15°C (27°F) higher than the anticipated production
temperature.

Permeability (optional)—If required, conduct laboratory permeability testing. Laboratory permeability

values greater than 100 m/day (300 ft/day) are recommended.

Compare the test results for the mixtures with different asphalt binder contents to all of the requirements
in Table 5. Select the binder content of the mixture that meets all of the requirements in Table 5 as the
optimum (design) binder content.

Evaluation of Moisture Sensitivity—Determine the moisture susceptibility of the designed mixture according
to T 283 with one freeze–thaw cycle. Modify the T 283 method as follows:

Compact PFC specimens with 50 gyrations of the Superpave Gyratory Compactor at the optimum asphalt
binder content;

Air void content in accordance with Table 5;

Apply a vacuum of 87.8 kPa (26 in.Hg) for 10 min to saturate the compacted specimens; however, no
specific saturation level is required; and

Keep the specimens submerged in water during the freeze–thaw cycle.

If the mixture does not meet the minimum TSR requirement in Table 5, either redesign the mixture using
different materials or use an antistrip additive to increase the TSR.

REPORT

Report the following information and test results:

Identification of the project and project number;

Aggregate source(s); asphalt source, grade type, and amount of stabilizing additive; and material quality
characteristics;

Results of the grading optimization;

6 of 7 2016-04-20 04:11 PM
Standard Practice for Materials Selection and Mixture Design of Perm... http://hm.digital.transportation.org/HM/34/HM-34/Part_III_Practices/S...

Selected optimum aggregate gradation and optimum asphalt binder content;

Volumetric properties, abrasion loss, and draindown for each trial blend from Section 7.4 and at the
optimum asphalt binder content;

Results of moisture susceptibility testing and antistrip additive, if needed; and

Recommended job-mix formula.

KEYWORDS

Abrasion loss; aggregates; air voids; asphalt; asphalt binder; breakpoint sieve; draindown; gradations; PFC
mixtures; stabilizing additive; VCA; voids in the coarse aggregate.

1 This provisional standard was first published in 2014.

7 of 7 2016-04-20 04:11 PM