Mechanistic evaluation of fatigue cracking in asphalt pavements

Over the last several decades, significant research has been conducted to predict the fatigue cracking performance of asphalt pavements. Recently, the simplified viscoelastic continuum damage (S-VECD) model was developed as an efficient method of characterising the fatigue performance of asphalt mixtures under a wide range of loading conditions. Two important material properties that can be determined from the S-VECD model are the damage characteristic curve that defines how damage evolves in a specimen and the energy-based failure criterion that defines when the specimen fails. These two material functions are unique for a given mixture regardless of temperature, mode of loading, stress/strain amplitude and loading history. This study presents the application of the Layered Viscoelastic Crirtical Distresses (LVECD) programme to predict the fatigue performance of 18 pavement sections from different locations in the United States and Canada. The capability of the LVECD programme to capture crack initiation, crack propagation and damage in the pavement sections is investigated by comparing the simulation results with field observations. This study found reasonable agreement in trends between the damage growth throughout the pavement cross sections as predicted by the LVECD programme and the surface crack growth as evidenced by field observations.     

Reconsideration of the fatigue tests for asphalt mixtures and binders containing high percentage RAP

When applying reclaimed asphalt technology in a flexible pavement project, most performance concerns are related to low temperature and fatigue cracking since the stiffness of the HMA mixture could dramatically increase through adding a high percentage of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) material. The purpose of this study is to evaluate asphalt mixtures with high RAP contents, prepared using two RAP addition methods, for their performance based on fatigue-cracking resistance rather than relying on volumetric properties. Asphalt mixture samples were prepared with three RAP binder content replacement percentages (30, 40 and 50%) using two preparation methods: the as-is RAP gradation (traditional method) and the splitting of the RAP gradation into coarse and fine fractions (fractionated method). Asphalt mixture beam fatigue and binder fatigue time-sweep tests were performed. Beam fatigue samples also underwent freeze–thaw cycling for freeze–thaw damage evaluation. Rather than basing the performance based solely on S–N_f curves to illustrate the fatigue performance, the beam fatigue test data was analysed through a dissipated energy approach. Faster fatigue degradation was observed for the 40% RAP binder and beam mixture when subjected to repeated loading. From a morphology aspect, this can be explained by the binder’s phase separation and physical hardening effects.     

Effects of recycled asphalt pavements on the fatigue life of asphalt under different strain levels and loading frequencies

Fatigue lives of Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) and binder have been studied separately for a long time. However, fatigue lives of HMA containing Recycled Asphalt Pavement (RAP) and the binder extracted from the same HMA containing RAP have not been studied yet. This study examines the effects of RAP, loading frequency and strain level on the fatigue lives of asphalt mixtures and binders. In addition, the relationship between the fatigue lives of asphalt mixture and binder is determined. Beam fatigue tests were conducted to determine the fatigue behaviors of two asphalt mixtures: one with 35% RAP and the other without RAP. To evaluate binder’s fatigue behavior, binders were extracted and recovered from these two mixtures. Then, fatigue lives of these two binders were determined using time sweep and Linear Amplitude Sweep (LAS) tests. Results show that presence of RAP in mixture causes a decrease in the mixture’s fatigue life, whereas it causes an increase in the fatigue life of binder. As expected, an increase in loading frequency results in an increase in the fatigue lives of asphalt mixture as well as binder. In addition, increase in strain level causes a decrease in the fatigue lives of both mixtures and binders. Fatigue lives of binders from time sweep and LAS tests show a good correlation with the mixture’s fatigue life by the beam fatigue test.     

Field performance of top-down fatigue cracking for warm mix asphalt pavements

As a result of repeated rehabilitation efforts over the past few decades, often asphalt pavements have become deep-strength pavements. Consequently, top-down cracking has become a primary distress type. In particular, the top-down cracking performance of warm mix asphalt (WMA) pavements, i.e. how does it compare with similar hot mix asphalt (HMA) pavements is largely unclear mainly due to the lack of field performance data. This paper presents an effort of monitoring the top-down cracking performance of 28 pavement projects including WMA pavements and their corresponding HMA control pavements with service lives ranging between 4 and 10 years. These pavements cover different climate zones, WMA technologies, service years, pavement structures and traffic volume levels. Two rounds of distress surveys were conducted at a two-year interval, and the material (asphalt binder and mixture) properties of the pavements were determined using field cores. The top-down cracking performance of the HMA and WMA pavements was compared based on the first and second round distress surveys. It was found that the HMA and WMA pavement in general exhibited comparable performance. The significant determinants (material properties) for top-down cracking were determined, which were vertical failure deformation of mixes measured at 20 °C from indirect tension test.     

Investigation of fatigue and fracture properties of asphalt mixtures modified with carbon nanotubes

Load‐induced cracking is one of the primary forms of distress in asphalt pavements at intermediate temperatures. Binder modification is a good alternative to promote the cracking resistance of asphalt mixtures. In the current research study, the effects of carbon nanotubes as a binder modifier on the fatigue and fracture performance of asphalt mixtures are investigated. The carbon nanotubes are added at five different percentages ranging from 0.2% to 1.5% to the base binder to study their effects on the fracture resistance and fatigue life of the asphalt mixtures. Using the cracked semi‐circular bend specimen, the critical value of J‐integral (Jc) was obtained for the investigated modified asphalt mixtures. Also, the fatigue behaviour of asphalt mixtures was studied using flexural beam fatigue test specimen. By employing the ratio of dissipated energy change approach, the plateau value of tested mixtures was determined as a measure of fatigue performance. Results showed that the carbon nanotubes can enhance both fracture resistance and fatigue performance of tested asphalt mixtures especially at higher percentages of the carbon nanotube.     

Experimental study on asphalt mixture recovery

Asphalt materials used in road pavements are exposed to repeated heavy traffic loading under changing climates. These phenomena make pavements prone to fatigue deterioration as a consequence of the formation of micro-cracks, which can coalesce into a network, ultimately leading to macro cracking and structural collapse. Susceptibility of asphalt mixtures to fatigue is usually evaluated through cyclic laboratory testing, where asphalt specimens are subjected to sinusoidal loading cycles. As the number of cycles increases, a significant loss in material stiffness occurs. However, if loading is interrupted by introducing a rest period between two continuous loading phases, an important change in material behavior is observed. This is associated with a substantial stiffness recovery, which in turn triggers the material’s fatigue life. In this study, the phenomenon of stiffness recovery during rest periods is investigated. Cyclic uniaxial tension–compression loading tests are conducted in stress-control mode and rest periods of different durations are considered. Dissipated energy is analyzed and used to assess the material’s capability for recovery and a new recovery index is proposed. It is found that the newly developed index can successfully assess the recovery properties of asphalt mixture.     

Fatigue life and endurance limit prediction of asphalt mixtures using energy-based failure criterion

Fatigue cracking is one of the major types of distress in asphalt mixtures and is caused by the accumulation of damage in pavement sections under repeated load applications. The fatigue endurance limit (EL) concept assumes a specific strain level, below which the damage in hot mix asphalt (HMA) is not cumulative. In other words, if the asphalt layer depth is controlled in a way that keeps the critical HMA flexural strain level below the EL, the fatigue life of the mixture can be extended significantly. This paper uses two common failure criteria, the traditional beam fatigue criterion and the simplified viscoelastic continuum damage model energy-based failure criterion (the so-called G^R method), to evaluate the effect of different parameters, such as reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) content, binder content, binder modification and warm mix asphalt (WMA) additives, on the EL value. In addition, both failure criteria are employed to investigate the impacts of these parameters in terms of the fatigue life of the study mixtures. According to the findings, unlike an increase in RAP content, which has a negative effect on the mixtures’ fatigue resistance, a higher binder content and/or binder modification can significantly increase the EL value and extend the fatigue life as was proved before by other researchers, whereas WMA additives do not significantly affect the mixtures’ fatigue behaviour. A comparison of the model simulation results with the field observations indicates that the G^R method predicts the field performance more accurately than the traditional method.     

Effect of load control mode on the fatigue performance of asphalt binder

Fatigue cracking is one of the major distresses found in asphalt pavements. The ability of asphalt binder to resist the accumulation of fatigue damage can have a profound effect on the service life of asphalt pavements. However, different from other materials, the fatigue characteristics of asphalt binder depend heavily on the load control mode. That is the fatigue characteristics of asphalt binder under controlled-stress mode differ from those under controlled-strain mode. This discrepancy affects the analysis results of asphalt binder fatigue performance. Therefore, this study is aimed at analyzing the effects of the load control mode on the fatigue performance of asphalt binder through a comparison of the fatigue characteristics under two different load control modes. The effect range of the load control mode was confirmed, and the method to differentiate the region affected by load control modes from the region not affected by load control modes was put forward. The relationship between the fatigue performances of asphalt binder under different control modes was analysed. Based on the results, it is concluded that the fatigue process can be divided into two regions using the curve of normalized dynamic modulus versus normalized phase angle. And, if the controlled stress and the controlled strain are equivalent levels, the fatigue characteristics of asphalt binder are independent of load control modes in the first region. The accumulated dissipated energy at the division point of the two regions is independent of both control modes and load levels, and serves as the effect threshold of the load control mode. Besides, the curve of accumulated dissipated energy versus number of cycles under controlled-stress mode is symmetrical to that curve under controlled-strain mode.     

Fatigue resistance investigation of warm‐mix recycled asphalt binder,mastic, and fine aggregate matrix

Fatigue cracking is one of the primary distresses in warm‐mix recycled asphalt pavements. This paper evaluates the fatigue resistance evolution of warm‐mix recycled asphalt materials in different scales during the service period. The strain sweep test and time sweep test were performed, respectively, by dynamic shear rheometer to determine the linear viscoelastic limits and to characterize the fatigue behavior of warm‐mix recycled asphalt binder, mastic, and fine aggregate matrix with different ageing levels and recycling plans. The dissipated energy method was used to define the failure criterion and to construct the fatigue model. Effects of ageing levels and recycling plans on stiffness and fatigue resistance were investigated. Performance correlations among warm‐mix recycled asphalt binder, mastic, and fine aggregate matrix were developed, respectively, by the statistical method to determine the critical material scale for stiffness and fatigue resistance.     

Analysis of the influence of binder properties on the mechanical response of bituminous mixtures

Asphalt mixtures are composed by a mass of aggregates (more than 90% of their total weight), which are bonded by a bituminous binder. Despite the fact that the binder is not the main component of these materials (around 5% of their total weight), it exerts a high influence on their mechanical response. In this sense, the service life of asphalt pavements will directly depend on the type of binder used, and thus an adequate choice is crucial to construct more durable roads. Because of this fact, it is necessary to know the characteristics of the bitumen in order to reduce the impact of different distresses that appear on roads. For this purpose, this paper studies the influence of the binder properties in the appearance of the main distresses that affect asphalt pavements around the world (stripping, fatigue cracking and plastic deformations). Five bitumens with different properties have been analysed during this research using diverse binder (UCL, multiple stress creep and recovery test and dynamic shear rheometer time sweep) and mixture (water sensitivity, wheel tracking and UGR-FACT) tests. The results obtained show that the properties of the binder influence the long-term performance of bituminous mixtures. In this sense, it can be said that flexible binders which are able to recover plastic deformations could extend the service life of the pavements.     

Impact of asphalt concrete fatigue endurance limit definition on pavement performance prediction

Many well-constructed Hot Mix Asphalt pavements have been in service for 40 or more years without any evidence of fatigue cracking. This field experience suggests that there exists a strain level, known as the fatigue endurance limit (FEL), below which an asphalt concrete pavement will not exhibit fatigue cracks. Several studies have been conducted to define and verify this limit. Each of these methods is associated with certain assumptions regarding the nature of the FEL and heretofore a comprehensive comparison of each has not been made using a consistent set of mixtures. Likewise, the impact of any observed differences in FEL on the predicted pavement performance has not been made. This paper investigates and compares six different methods for identifying the FEL: NCHRP 9–44A approach, simplified viscoelastic continuum damage model, smeared-healing with continuum damage model, plateau value approach, pseudo-strain analysis method, and reduced cycles method. Each method is found to yield different values ranges from approximately 30–170 microstrains at 21.1 °C. The predicted FEL from each of the six methods are then used with the mechanistic empirical design algorithm to evaluate their effects on predicted pavement performance. Simulation outputs show different pavement performance and perpetual pavement structural design thicknesses from each of the methods. The study outcomes are expected to benefit future field verification research of FEL as it provides comprehensive analyses using six different methods. This future verification research may indicate the method that best represents actual perpetual pavement design and performance.     

Evaluation of low-temperature performance of asphalt paving mixtures

Low temperature cracking is the major damage in asphalt pavement, and many test methods have been used to evaluate the anti-cracking property of asphalt mixture. This paper evaluates the low temperature performance of asphalt mixture using four tests namely: beam bending test, indirect tensile test, contraction coefficient test and thermal stress restrained specimen test. Five types of asphalt mixtures namely: A, B, C, D and E were evaluated. Results show that compared with the thermal stress restrained specimen test, beam bending test, indirect tensile test and contraction coefficient test are not appropriate for the evaluation of asphalt mixtures low temperature performance. Moreover, results of gray relational analysis demonstrate that the bending strain energy density is significantly correlated to fracture temperature. It is reasonable to adopt the critical values of bending strain energy density to evaluate the low temperature performance of asphalt mixture in the absence of fracture temperature.     

Mechanistic evaluation of cracking in in-service asphalt pavements

Cracking in asphalt pavements is a complex problem that is affected by pavement structural design, material properties, and environmental conditions. It is now well accepted that load-related top-down fatigue cracking (i.e., cracking that initiates at the surface of the pavement and propagates downward) commonly occurs in asphalt pavements. Conventional fracture mechanics-based finite element analysis must assume the location of macrocrack initiation a priori and, therefore, is not appropriate for general-purpose cracking simulation. This paper presents the use of the layered viscoelastic pavement analysis for critical distresses (LVECD) program to evaluate 18 pavements in local condition regions of 9 in-service pavement sites in North Carolina. In order to obtain the material properties of the individual layers from the field-extracted cores, dynamic modulus tests and simplified viscoelastic continuum damage tests are performed using small geometry specimens obtained from 150 mm diameter cores. This study verifies the capability of the LVECD model to capture crack initiation locations, propagation propensity, and cracking severity by comparing the simulation results with the observations of field cores and the field condition survey of in-service pavements in North Carolina. Overall, the agreement rate between the field core observations and field condition survey and the predicted LVECD simulation results is about 78 % in terms of cracking direction and severity.     

循环荷载作用下钢桥面铺装疲劳损伤失效行为研究

针对钢桥面铺装工程中普遍采用的改性沥青(Stone Matrix Asphalt,SMA)、浇筑式沥青(Guss asphalt,GA)、环氧沥青(Epoxy asphalt,EP)混合料双层铺装结构,进行了循环车载作用下钢桥面与沥青混凝土铺装疲劳损伤特性理论分析与试验研究。基于疲劳损伤度,研究了钢桥面铺装疲劳损伤失效行为和疲劳开裂过程中损伤场、应力和应变场动态演变机制,推导出疲劳失效时的损伤场、应力和应变场计算表达式,并给出钢桥面铺装疲劳寿命理论公式。以三座钢箱梁桥桥面铺装(润扬长江大桥2005,南京长江三桥2005,苏通大桥2008)为例,对不同铺装结构组合方案下的复合梁进行疲劳试验分析和使用寿命理论预测。实例研究结果表明,钢桥面铺装疲劳损伤失效行为预估模型合理可行;相较于改性沥青、浇筑式沥青,环氧沥青混合料具有较强高的强度低变形能力,更适合于大跨径钢桥面铺装抗疲劳的设计要求;由环氧沥青混合料组合而成的“双层环氧沥青混凝土”和“浇注式沥青混凝土(下层)+环氧沥青混凝土(上层)”的抗疲劳性能优于其它沥青混合料铺装结构组合方案,同等厚度组合情况下疲劳使用寿命可延长1倍~2倍以上;“双层环氧沥青混凝土”已应用于润扬长江大桥、南京长江三桥和苏通长江大桥钢桥面工程,并已成功运行10年以上,其跟踪观测结果良好。     

Cooling cycle effects on low temperature cracking characteristics of asphalt concrete mixture

The effect of cooling cycles on the low temperature behavior of asphalt concrete mixtures is investigated using a recently developed acoustic emission (AE) test device. In an attempt to link the local AE response of the asphalt mixtures to the pavement global response obtained through mechanical tests, the AE-based results were validated using traditional mechanical pavement performance testing methods namely, the disk-shaped compact tension [DC(T)] test and the indirect tensile test (IDT) method. Field-aged pavement cores, which were expected to have a gradient in binder aging properties (more aging near the surface of the pavement), were collected and tested. Test results revealed that significant damage resulted from cyclic cooling, effecting the fracture energy and stress relaxation ability of the asphalt mixture. The AE results collected were consistent with the results obtained using the DC(T) and the IDT test methods. The so-called Felicity effect was observed by evaluating AE activity occurring in a sample subjected to multiple cooling cycles and an AE based healing index was introduced to evaluate the amount of healing that resulted from warming cycles. Low temperature induced microdamage was also investigated using X-ray computer micro-tomography, in an effort to better understand the physical nature of microcracking in asphalt mixtures at low temperatures and the source of AE emissions detected.     

两种沥青胶浆的疲劳及自愈合性能试验

为了研究沥青胶浆的疲劳及自愈合特性,利用动态剪切流变仪（DSR）进行时间扫描及疲劳-愈合-再疲劳测试,并通过原子力显微镜（AFM）对细观结构进行观测,比较分析了不同粉胶比下基质沥青胶浆和苯乙烯-丁二烯-苯乙烯嵌段共聚物（SBS）改性沥青胶浆的疲劳性能,以及在常温（25℃）下3个不同间歇期的自愈合性能。试验发现：SBS沥青胶浆具有更好的疲劳和自愈合性能,两种沥青胶浆疲劳寿命均随粉胶比的增大而增加,同一粉胶比条件下,更长的间歇期有利于其自愈合,过大或者过小的粉胶比都会降低沥青胶浆的自愈合性能;AFM观测结果表明：基质沥青胶浆出现明显的"蜂状结构",粉胶比增加,矿粉吸附更多的沥青质,"蜂状结构"变多,与沥青界面内聚力作用增强,提高了抗疲劳性能,SBS改性剂与沥青相容性良好,改性沥青胶浆没有出现"蜂状结构",改性剂的加入增强了分子间内聚力,有助于提高抗疲劳性能,因此建议路面材料选用改性沥青胶浆。     

Numerical investigation of fatigue characteristics of concrete pavement

In concrete pavements, fatigue is one of the major causes of distress. Repeated loads result in the formation of cracks. The propagation of these cracks cause internal progressive damage within the structure, which ultimately leads to failure of the pavement due to fatigue. This paper presents a theoretical investigation of crack propagation within concrete pavement and its fatigue characteristics under cyclic loading. A numerical fatigue performance model has been developed for this purpose. The model is based on fictitious crack approach for the propagation of cracks and stress degradation approach for estimating the bridging stress under cyclic loading. Using the numerical model, a parametric study has been performed for a typical concrete pavement to evaluate its fatigue characteristics for different foundation strengths. The method can be used for prediction of crack propagation in concrete pavement under cyclic loading and gives an estimate of the incremental damage or the entire crack history of the pavement.     

Viscoelastic–plastic damage model for porous asphalt mixtures: Application to uniaxial compression and freeze–thaw damage

Porous asphalt mixture increasingly used in highway pavement applications is an open graded composite material which has fewer fines and more air voids compared with conventional dense graded asphalt mixtures. The freeze thaw resistance of the mixture is crucial for the performance of porous asphalt pavement especially when clogging is unavoidable. A simple viscoelastic–plastic damage model is developed to evaluate the effects of freeze–thaw of porous asphalt mixtures. Generalized Maxwell and Drucker–Prager model are used to determine the viscoelastic and plastic responses respectively. The damage and its evolution is characterized by Weibull distribution function. Experimental data from uniaxial compressive strength tests, conducted at different strain rates and temperatures, are used to calibrate the model. The sensitivity of model parameters to loading conditions is identified. Simulation results suggest that loss of cohesion is the dominant mechanism of failure in porous asphalt mixtures under freeze–thaw cycles. Freeze–thaw effects also lead to changes of plastic potential surface and induce large volumetric strains under loading.     

Effect of warm mix additives on the interfacial bonding characteristics of asphalt binders

The quality of the interfacial bonding between asphalt binder and aggregates plays a significant role in determining the durability of asphalt mixtures. Warm mix asphalt (WMA) modifiers have been used extensively in the last decade primarily to reduce production and compaction temperatures as well as to improve workability of asphalt mixtures. This study aimed to provide better understanding of the effects of these WMA modifiers on the interfacial bonding between asphalt binders and aggregates. The evaluation focused on measuring surface energy of binders in unaged and aged states and aggregates and then calculating energy parameters that describe the potential of a given asphalt-aggregate combination to resist fatigue cracking and moisture damage. Results show that the combination of asphalt-WMA additive, as well as the content applied of WMA additive has a significant impact on the fatigue cracking and moisture damage resistance. The results suggest that it is poor practice to use a given type and percentage of WMA modifier without regard for binder type. Instead, test methods are recommended to evaluate the compatibility of asphalt binder, WMA additive type/content, and aggregates for improved performance at different conditions.     

Finite element cohesive fracture modeling of airport pavements at low temperatures

Low temperature cracking induced by seasonal and daily thermal cyclic loads is one of the main critical distresses in asphalt pavements. The safety of aircraft departure and landing becomes a crucial issue in runways when thermal cracks occur in airport pavements. The low-temperature fracture behavior of airport pavements was investigated using a bilinear cohesive zone model (CZM) implemented in the finite element method (FEM). Nonlinear temperature gradients of pavement structures were estimated based on national weather data and an integrated climate prediction model. Experimental tests were conducted to obtain the numerical model inputs such as viscoelastic and fracture properties of asphalt concrete using creep compliance tests, indirect tensile strength tests (IDT), and disk-shaped compact tension (DC(T)) tests. The finite element pavement fracture models could successfully predict the progressive crack behavior of asphalt pavements under the critical temperature and heavy aircraft gear loading conditions.