Flexible pavements are layered systems that consist of a sub-grade, sub-base, and the pavement surface layer. Pavement surface layer is a mixture of asphalt binder, coarse, and fine aggregates. The stiffness of asphalt materials is significantly reduced by an increase in temperature. The high heat capacity and the low thermal conductivity of pavement materials result in significant increase in temperature and hence increase in the potential of rutting or permanent deformation in asphalt pavements. Controlling of pavement temperature within a desirable range can be an efficient method to reduce rutting. In this study, the technique of lowering pavement temperature by using a fluid through pipes installed inside the pavement is being investigated. Pavement slabs of hot mix asphalt with and without inserted copper pipe were constructed in the Civil and Environmental Engineering laboratory, and the slabs were tested under high temperature with the Model Mobile Load Simulator 3 (MMLS3). The extraction of heat energy from asphalt pavements was achieved by flowing water through embedded pipe located at 1.5 inches below the surface. This technique resulted in a 10°C decrease in pavement temperature and a reduction of rutting depth from 0.65 inch (significant) to 0.1inch (insignificant). Rut depth and temperature data obtained at different locations along the pavement showed good correlation between surface temperature and rutting depth. The results show that the flowing water through embedded pipes is an effective way to reduce the surface temperature and thus to control rutting depth and prolong the life of pavement.

Permanent deformation or rutting is a major hot mix asphalt (HMA) performance distress. Implementation of the Superior Performing Asphalt Pavement (Superpave) HMA mix design system was due, in part, to limit HMA rutting. Along with the Superpave system, performance testing equipment was developed to evaluate rutting potential; however, this equipment proved largely ineffective. As a result, agencies developed their own performance equipment, with the Asphalt Pavement Analyzer (APA) currently being used by many agencies for HMA rutting evaluation. The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) is utilizing the APA to evaluate HMA performance, but does not currently have established pass/fail criteria. Field rutting analysis and coring were conducted for twentyour pavements throughout Mississippi to determine in-service performance. Asphalt pavement analyzer testing was conducted on field cores and lab prepared specimens to evaluate mix characteristic influence on rutting and to develop APA failure criteria.

Asphalt pavement rutting is one of the most commonly observed pavement distresses and is a major safety concern to transportation agencies. Millions of dollars are reportedly spent annually to repair rutted asphalt pavements. Research into improvements of hot-mix asphalt materials, mix designs and methods of pavement evaluation and design, including laboratory and field testing, can provide extended pavement life and significant cost savings in pavement maintenance and rehabilitation. This research describes a method of predicting the behaviour of various asphalt mixes and linking these behaviours to an accelerated performance testing tool and pavement in-situ performance. The elastic, plastic, viscoelastic and viscoplastic components of asphalt mix deformation are also examined for their relevance to asphalt rutting prediction. The finite element method (FEM) allows for analysis of nonlinear viscoplastic behaviour of asphalt mixes. This research determines the critical characteristics of asphalt mixes which control rutting potential and investigates the methods of laboratory testing which can be used to determine these characteristics. The Hamburg Wheel Rut Tester (HWRT) is used in this research for asphalt laboratory accelerated rutting resistance testing and for calibration of material parameters developed in triaxial repeated load creep and creep recovery testing. The rutting resistance criteria used in the HWRT are developed for various traffic loading levels. The results and mix ranking associated with the laboratory testing are compared with the results and mix ranking associated with FEM modeling and new mechanistic-empirical method of pavement design analyses. A good relationship is observed between laboratory measured and analytically predicted performance of asphalt mixes. The result of this research is a practical framework for developing material parameters in laboratory testing which can be used in FEM modeling of accelerated performance testing and pavement in-situ performance.

The implementation of warm-mix asphalt (WMA) is becoming more widespread in the United States of America with a growing number of contractors choosing to utilize various WMA technologies. WMA technologies were developed in order to reduce mixing and compaction temperatures of hot mix asphalt (HMA) without affecting the quality of the pavement. Research into the effects of WMA additives suggests that it may be more susceptible to rutting and moisture damage than traditional HMA pavements. The objective of this research is to evaluate the effects of a single WMA additive on resistance to rutting and moisture damage on lab mixed and field mixed pavements. This objective was completed by conducting extensive laboratory experiments to determine and assess the performance of both WMA and HMA mixtures produced using Iowa aggregates. The conclusions of this study are as follow: * Reduced mixing and compaction temperatures were achieved using the selected additive. * The selected WMA additive was successfully used and samples were taken during a local resurfacing project. * Moisture sensitivity of both field mixed WMA and field mixed HMA were comparable although both failed to meet Iowa DOT standards. * Dry Indirect Tensile Strength values of lab mixed WMA and HMA samples were nearly the same. * TSR values of lab mixed HMA surpassed those of lab mixed WMA although both failed to meet Iowa DOT standards. * The aged field mixed HMA successfully passed the Hamburg Wheel Tracker Test and provided the best creep and stripping values compared to all other field mixed specimens. * Lab mixed HMA using a PG 64-22 binder performed the best compared to all other lab mixed specimens although none of the lab mixed specimens successfully passed the Hamburg Wheel Tracker Test.

This study evaluated the performance of state-of-the-practice automated rut measurement systems (ARMS) for measuring rutting in the field at highway speeds under Texas conditions. A total of twenty-four 550-ft survey sections were selected with the objective of establishing representative conditions encountered on Texas highways as well as cases considered potentially problematic for automated rutting surveys. Five different ARMS measured the twenty-four sections at highways speeds and reported their best estimates of the transverse profiles coordinates at 552 stations and the Maximum Rut Depth (MRD) values for each wheel-path at 2,664 stations. These measurements were compared with the manual measurements taken statically at the same locations. The reference transverse profiles were manually measured using a laser distance meter and a leveled beam and the reference MRD values were manually measured using a 6ft straight-edge and a gage graduated to 16ths of an inch. In addition, the effect of different experimental variables on each system’s measurement errors was analyzed aiming to detect which pavement characteristics are more challenging for the ARMS. / text

The mechanical behavior of asphalt binders is nonlinear. The binders exhibit shear thinning/thickening behavior in steady shear tests and non-proportational behavior in other standard viscoelastic tests such as creep-recovery or stress relaxation tests. Moreover, they develop normal stress differences even in simple shear flows - a characteristic feature of nonlinear viscoelastic behavior. Many researchers have asserted the importance of considering the nonlinearity of the mechanical behavior of asphalt binders for accurately estimating their performance under field conditions, and for comparing and ranking them accordingly. In order to do so, it is necessary to have a robust and reliable nonlinear viscoelastic model. However, most of the models available in the literature do not capture the various features of the nonlinear response of asphalt binders accurately. Those that could are too complicated and still possess other shortcomings. Considering these issues, a new nonlinear viscoelastic model is developed here using a new Gibbs-potential based thermodynamic framework. The model is then corraborated with data from experiments in which the shear-thinning behavior and the nonproportional creep-recovery behavior were observed together. Finally, the model is used to evaluate the various criteria available for predicting rutting susceptibility of asphalt binders. Results of the analysis of the rutting prediction criteria show that each criterion characterizes the resistance to permanent strain shown by asphalt binders over a different range of applied stress - the zero-shear viscosity at very low stress levels, the Superpave criterion at very high stress levels and the MSCR test in the intermediate range of stresses.

Thesis (M.S.)--Brigham Young University. Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 41-44).

Pavement rutting is one of the major asphalt pavement surface distresses affecting pavement structure integrity and driving safety and is also a required performance measure specified in the Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS). Manual rutting measurement is still conducted by many state Departments of Transportation (DOTs), like Georgia DOT; however, it is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and dangerous. Although point-based rut bar systems have been developed and utilized by state DOTs to measure rutting conditions, they often underestimate rut depth measurements. There is an urgent need to develop an automated method to accurately and reliably measure rutting conditions. With the advance of sensing technology, emerging 3D line laser imaging technology is capable of collecting high-resolution 3D range data at highway speed (e.g., 100 km/h) and, therefore, holds a great potential for accurately and repeatedly measuring pavement rutting condition. The main contribution of this research includes a methodology, along with a series of methods and procedures, for the first time, developed utilizing emerging 3D line laser imaging technology to improve existing 1D rut depth measurement accuracy and repeatability and to measure additional 2D and 3D rutting characteristics. These methods and procedures include: (1) a threshold-based outlier removal method employing the multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) technique to remove outliers caused by non-rutting features, such as wide transverse cracks and potholes; (2) a modified topological-ordering-based segment clustering (MTOSC) method to optimally partition the continuous roadway network into segments with uniform rutting condition; (3) an overlapping-reducing heuristic method to solve large-scale segmentation problems; (4) a network-level rutting condition assessment procedure for analyzing 3D range data to statistically interpret the pavement rutting condition in support of network-level pavement management decisions; (5) an isolated rut detection method to determine the termini, maximum depth, and volume of isolated ruts in support of project-level maintenance operations. Comprehensive experimental tests were conducted in the laboratory and the field to validate the accuracy and repeatability of 1D rut depth obtained using the 3D range data. Experimental tests were also conducted in the laboratory to validate the accuracy of 3D rut volume. Case studies were conducted on one interstate highway (I-95), two state routes (SR 275 and SR 67), and one local road (Benton Blvd.) to demonstrate the capability of the developed methods and procedures. The results of experimental tests and case studies show that the proposed methodology is promising for improving the rutting measurement accuracy and reliability. This research is one of the initial effort in studying the applicability of this emerging sensing technology in pavement management. And the outcomes of this research will play a key role in advancing state DOTs’ existing pavement rutting condition assessment practices.

Rutting is one of the major distresses in asphalt pavements and it increases road roughness and traps water, which leads to wet-weather accidents due to the loss of tire-pavement friction and hydroplaning. The fundamental mechanisms of rutting have not been well addressed because of the complexity of asphalt mixtures. A comprehensive characterization of the asphalt mixtures in compression was accomplished by mechanistically modeling the inherent anisotropy, viscoelasticity, viscoplasticity and viscofracture of the material. The inherent anisotropy due to preferentially oriented aggregates was characterized by a microstructural parameter (i.e., modified vector magnitudes) which could be rapidly and accurately measured by lateral surface scanning tests and physically related to anisotropic modulus ratio. The anisotropic viscoelasticity was represented by complex moduli and Poisson's ratios in separate orthogonal directions that were determined by an efficient testing protocol. Master curve models were proposed for the magnitude and phase angle of these complex variables. The viscoplasticity were intensively modeled by an anisotropic viscoplastic model which incorporated 1) modified effective stresses to account for the inherent and stress-induced anisotropy; 2) a new model to provide a smooth and convex yield surface and address the material cohesion and internal friction; 3) a non-associated flow rule to consider the volumetric dilation; and 4) a temperature and strain rate dependent strain hardening function. The viscofracture resulting from the crack growth in compression led to the stress-induced anisotropy and was characterized by anisotropic damage densities, the evolution of which was modeled by the anisotropic pseudo J-integral Paris' laws. Results indicated that the undamaged asphalt mixtures were inherently anisotropic and had vertical to horizontal modulus ratios from 1.2 to 2.0 corresponding to the modified vector magnitudes from 0.2 and 0.5. The rutting would be underestimated without including the inherent anisotropy in the constitutive modeling. Viscoelastic and viscoplastic deformation developed simultaneously while the viscofracture deformation occurred only during the tertiary flow, which was signaled by the increase of phase angle. Axial and radial strain decomposition methods were proposed to efficiently separate the viscoplasticity and viscofracture from the viscoelasticity. Rutting was accelerated by the occurrence of cracks in tertiary flow. The asphalt mixture had a brittle (splitting cracks) or ductile (diagonal cracks) fracture when the air void content was 4% and 7%, respecitvely. The testing protocol that produced the material properties is efficient and can be completed in one day with simple and affordable testing equipment. The developed constitutive models can be effectively implemented for the prediction of the rutting in asphalt pavements under varieties of traffic, structural, and environmental conditions.

Asphalt pavement rutting is one of the most commonly observed pavement distresses and is a major safety concern to transportation agencies. Millions of dollars are reportedly spent annually to repair rutted asphalt pavements. Research into improvements of hot-mix asphalt materials, mix designs and methods of pavement evaluation and design, including laboratory and field testing, can provide extended pavement life and significant cost savings in pavement maintenance and rehabilitation. This research describes a method of predicting the behaviour of various asphalt mixes and linking these behaviours to an accelerated performance testing tool and pavement in-situ performance. The elastic, plastic, viscoelastic and viscoplastic components of asphalt mix deformation are also examined for their relevance to asphalt rutting prediction. The finite element method (FEM) allows for analysis of nonlinear viscoplastic behaviour of asphalt mixes. This research determines the critical characteristics of asphalt mixes which control rutting potential and investigates the methods of laboratory testing which can be used to determine these characteristics. The Hamburg Wheel Rut Tester (HWRT) is used in this research for asphalt laboratory accelerated rutting resistance testing and for calibration of material parameters developed in triaxial repeated load creep and creep recovery testing. The rutting resistance criteria used in the HWRT are developed for various traffic loading levels. The results and mix ranking associated with the laboratory testing are compared with the results and mix ranking associated with FEM modeling and new mechanistic-empirical method of pavement design analyses. A good relationship is observed between laboratory measured and analytically predicted performance of asphalt mixes. The result of this research is a practical framework for developing material parameters in laboratory testing which can be used in FEM modeling of accelerated performance testing and pavement in-situ performance.