Effectiveness of dominant aggregate size range – interstitial component criteria for consistently enhanced cracking performance of asphalt mixtures in the field

Abstract

This study primarily focused on evaluating the effectiveness of dominant aggregate size range – interstitial component (DASR-IC) criteria established for the purpose of asphalt mixture design and construction specifications leading to better and consistently enhanced field cracking performance using the enhanced hot-mix asphalt fracture mechanics-based performance prediction model (HMA-FM-E model) plus field performance evaluation. Results indicated that the mixtures meeting all DASR-IC criteria, including DASR porosity, disruption factor (DF), effective film thickness (EFT), and fine aggregate ratio (FAR), will have relatively better and consistently enhanced field cracking performance. The mixtures not meeting all DASR-IC criteria show inconsistent field cracking performance, including either cracked or uncracked status. Thereby, it is important to design asphalt mixtures that meet all DASR-IC criteria. The DASR-IC criteria were found to be effective and their implementation will help ensure consistently enhanced cracking performance in the field.