Impact of curing time on warm mix asphalt short-term performance

The emerging use of warm mix asphalt (WMA) technology has led to economic and environmental benefits for transportation agencies and road users. Among these benefits is the reduced mixing and compaction temperatures of WMA. However, decreased temperatures may affect the resulting complex modulus to withstand traffic loads. A performance evaluation of WMA over various ‘curing’ periods would determine the evolution of the complex modulus over time. This allows to identify the optimum time for opening WMA paved surfaces to traffic. The effect of curing time on the short-term performance of the warm stone matrix asphalt (warm-SMA), produced with chemical WMA additives, is investigated. The curing periods include: three, six and 12 hours; one, three and seven days; and three, six and 12 weeks. The main objective of this study is to experimentally characterize the short-term performance of WMA produced with two types of chemical additives: EvothermTM 3G and Rediset® LQ-1106. The results were analyzed for statistical significance and the effect of warm-SMA on the life cycle cost analysis and life cycle assessment was evaluated. It was determined that the warm-SMA had comparable mechanical properties to the conventional SMA, while providing economic and environmental advantages