Determination of fracture parameters of asphalt mixes by the repeated indirect tensile test

Abstract

The fatigue of asphalt mixes constitutes one of the main types of distress of pavement structures. In laboratory, different procedures and testing equipments were implemented to describe the fatigue properties of asphalt mixes. Among them, the repeated indirect tensile test is used to determine the fatigue properties of asphalt mixes and also, their resilient modulus. Generally, fatigue tests are conducted using one of the two basic types of loading: controlled-strain or controlled-stress. Both loading modes produce fatigue prediction models relating the initial response (tensile strain or stress) of asphalt mixture to the fatigue life. In recent years, the application of more fundamental approaches has been suggested. One of these approaches is based on the principles of the Fracture Mechanics. The most popular relationship used in fracture mechanics is the Paris´ law. This paper presents an application of the Repeated Indirect Tensile Test to determine the fundamental parameters governing the crack propagation process in asphalt mixtures. The basic adopted hypotheses, the used data reduction techniques and the results obtained for an asphalt mixture considered as an example are presented, discussed and compared with other cited in the analysed literature.

Sustainability of the Optimum Pavement Model of Reclaimed Asphalt from a Used Pavement Structure

“…However, this extremely efficient process has not become widely used yet. Still, it is a challenge for researchers and innovators to continue developing technological improvements to increase the overall efficiency of recycling methods [6][7][8].…”

“…As a useful strategy for preserving material in the road economy is a so-called "scale concept", which is widespread. According to this concept, illustrated in Figure 1, the efforts should concentrate on the use of the most durable pavement materials, for example, the construction of roads with long design life [6,7]. However, individual components can be modified to obtain an optimally designed asphalt mixture.…”

Fénix Test

“…Three stages are involved in crack formation: initiation, where initial microstructural changes due to load applications occur (microcrack formation); propagation, with macrocrack formation due to joining of microcracks; and eventual fracture or complete failure of material (5)(6)(7). In 1957, Irwin proposed a classification of cracking mechanisms to analyze stress concentration at the crack tip and propagation modes.…”

Effect of Construction Quality, Temperature, and Rutting on Initiation of Top-Down Cracking

“…The literature suggests that the indirect tension test is suitable for quantifying cracking behavior (16,17 ). This test was carried out by applying a compressive diametral load to a cylindrical specimen with a 50.05-mm radius and a 50.00-mm height at a controlled deformation rate of 51.00 mm per minute.…”