HMA Mixture Design

Superpave
Strategic Highway Research
Program (SHRP)
• 5 years, $150 million
• Areas of Interest
– Asphalt materials ($50 million)
– Cement and concrete
– Long-term pavement performance
– Highway operations
– Maintenance effectiveness
 Superpave - What is It?
• Superior Performing Asphalt
Pavements
• Refers Collectively to the Products of
SHRP Asphalt Research Program
• A System for Overcoming
– Rutting
– Low temp cracking
– Fatigue cracking
 The Superpave System
• Performance Based
Binder Specification
Binder Physical Property Tests
Mixture Design
Mixture Tests
Superpave Binder
Specification

PG 64-22

Control physical properties within

this pavement temperature range.
 Selection Items
• Asphalt Binder
• Aggregate
• Volumetric Properties
• Moisture Susceptibility
Aggregate Properties
• Consensus Properties
– Coarse aggregate angularity
– Fine aggregate angularity
– Flat, elongated particles
– Clay content
• Source Properties
– Toughness
– Soundness
– Deleterious materials
 Aggregate Size Definitions
• Nominal Maximum Aggregate Size
– One size larger than the first sieve to
retain more than 10%
• Maximum Aggregate Size
– One size larger than nominal maximum
size
Percent Passing
100
max density line

restricted
zone
nom max
control point max size
size

0
.075 .3 2.36 4.75 9.5 12.5 19.0

Sieve Size, mm, raised to 0.45 power

 Purpose of Superpave
Gradation Requirements
• Use of 0.45 Power Chart
– Achieve VMA
• Control Points
– Define mix types
• Restricted Zone
– Prevent excess of fine sand in relation
to total sand
• Develop Tough Stone Skeleton
 Typical Superpave Mixes
100

80
Percent Passing

60

40

20

0
.075 .3 2.36 19 25
Sieve Size, mm, Raised to 0.45 Power
 Short Term Aging

2 hours, low absorption aggregates

4 hours, high absorption aggregates
 Short Term Aging
• Allows time for aggregate to absorb binder
• Helps minimize variability in volumetric
calculations
– Most terms dependent upon volumes which
vary with changes in the amount (volume)
of absorbed binder
 Compaction
Key Components of Gyratory Compactor

height control and data

measurement acquisition panel

reaction
frame loading
ram

tilt bar mold

rotating
base
 Compaction
• Gyratory compactor
– Axial and shearing action
– 150 mm diameter molds
• Aggregate size up to 37.5 mm
• Height measurement during compaction
–Allows densification during
compaction to be evaluated
Ram pressure
600 kPa

1.25o
 Compaction
Example of typical full-size compactors.
SGC Compaction Curve
% Gmm
Nmax
Ndes

Nini

10 100 1000
Log Gyrations
 Compaction Table
20-yr.
Design Ninitial Ndesign Nmaximum
ESAL (M)
0-0.3 6 50 75

0.3-3 7 75 115

3-30 8 100 160

>30 9 125 205

% Gmm Data Presentation
100
98
Nmax = 174
96
Ndes = 109
94
Nini = 8
92
90 Specimen 1
Specimen 2
88 Average
86
84
1 10 100 1000

Number of Gyrations
 Superpave Testing
• Specimen heights
• Mixture volumetrics
– Air voids

– Voids in mineral aggregate (VMA)

– Voids filled with asphalt (VFA)

– Mixture density characteristics

• Dust proportion
• Moisture sensitivity
 Superpave Mixture Design
• Determine mixture properties at NDesign and compare
to criteria

– Air voids 4% (or 96% Gmm)

– VMA See table
– VFA See table
– %Gmm at Nini < 89%
– %Gmmat Nmax < 98%
– Dust proportion 0.6 to 1.8
 SGC Results
% Gmm

Increasing asphalt
96% cement content
(4% Voids)

Nini Ndes Nmax

10 100 1000
Log Gyrations

Each line = avg. of two samples

 Superpave Mixture Design
• VMA requirements:
– Nominal max agg size Min. VMA
» 9.5 mm 15
» 12.5 mm 14
» 19 mm 13
» 35 mm 12
» 37.5 mm 11
 Superpave Mixture Design
• VFA requirements:
– Traffic (millions of ESALs) Range of VFA

< 0.3 70 to 80
1 to 3 65 to 78
> 3.0 65 to 75
Superpave Mixture Design
% Passing #200 Sieve
0.6 < < 1.8
% Effective Binder
 Superpave Mixture Design
• Moisture Sensitivity
– Prepare set of 6 specimens
• 6 to 8% voids
–Represents anticipated in-service voids
– Determine tensile strength of 3 of specimens
– Saturate and condition remaining 3 in water bath
(60oC, 24 hr.)
• Option for freeze cycle
– Bring to test temperature (25oC) and determine
wet (conditioned) tensile strength
 Moisture Sensitivity
AASHTO T 283
• Measured on proposed aggregate blend and
binder content
• Reduced compactive effort to increase voids

3 Conditioned Specimens 3 Dry Specimens

Vacuum saturate specimens

Soak at 60oC for 24 hours
Soak at 25oC for 2 hours
 Moisture Sensitivity
AASHTO T 283

Determine the tensile

strengths of both sets of 3
specimens
Calculate the
Tensile Strength
Ratio (TSR)
Avg. wet tensile strength
TSR =
Avg. dry tensile strength

Minimum of 80% needed

Moisture Sensitivity
AASHTO T 283

Indirect tensile
strength apparatus
for 100 mm
specimens
 Selection of Design
Binder Content
Va VMA

% binder Blend 3 % binder

VFA
DP

% binder
% binder

%Gmm at Nini %Gmm at Nmax

% binder % binder