Moisture Susceptibility Testing for Hot Mix Asphalt Pavements in New England

US Transportation Collection2018PDFTech ReportDave, EshanDaniel, Jo SiasMallick, Rajib BDeCarlo, ChristopherVeeraragavan, Ram KumarKottayi, Nivedya MadankaraUniversity of New HampshireNew England Transportation ConsortiumUniversity of Vermont. Transportation Research CenterUnited States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway AdministrationNew England Transportation ConsortiumNew EnglandUnited StatesBindersCreepHot mix asphaltLaboratory testsLow temperatureMix designMoisture contentRecycled materialsWarm mix paving mixturesNETCR109FinalAs Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) is added to Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) in increasing percentages, many HMA producers are exploring the use of warm mix technologies to offset the stiffness of the aged binder included in the RAP and aid in compaction and workability of the RAP mixtures. In addition, the relatively lower mixing temperatures associated with the warm mix technologies may not provide adequate drying of the RAP and could potentially increase the moisture susceptibility of the mix. The lower temperatures may also decrease the amount of blending or co-mingling between the RAP binder and the virgin binder. This could result in a mixture that is effectively under asphalted, which would then be more prone to premature failure due to low temperature cracking. This project will evaluate the low temperature cracking properties and moisture susceptibility of RAP mixtures produced with warm mix technologies. Plant mixtures produced with varying RAP contents and warm mix technologies will be sampled. Laboratory testing will include an evaluation test for moisture susceptibility, and TSRST and IDT creep testing to evaluate the low-temperature cracking properties of the mixtures.143