Suitability of dynamic and relaxation tests for the evaluation of moisture susceptibility of asphalt mixtures

Edith Arambula*, Eyad Masad, Amy Epps Martin, Robert L. Lytton

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The presence of wain ter in asphalt pavements deteriorates their condition and causes distresses that result in high maintenance costs to state and federal agencies. The objective of this research was to execute dynamic and relaxation tests and evaluate their effectiveness in assessing moisture susceptibility of asphalt mixture specimens with different air void structures determined using X-ray computed tomography (CT) and conditioned using the modified Lottman procedure. The dynamic test consisted of the application of a sinusoidal cyclic compressive load on the specimen while maintaining the strain within a specified range. The relaxation test, performed in both direct tension and compression, consisted of the application of a constant static strain. A statistical analysis was used to study the effectiveness of the tests in evaluating the moisture susceptibility of the asphalt mixtures. The results showed that none of the tests (dynamic or relaxation) were consistent in differentiating between the moisture conditioned and unconditioned specimens or between the responses of the different mixtures within each condition. In addition, the results of the dynamic and relaxation tests were compared after applying different methods to convert frequency-domain data to time-domain data.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)150-164
Number of pages15
JournalJournal of Testing and Evaluation
Volume36
Issue number2
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2008
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Asphalt mixture characterization
  • Dynamic test
  • Frequency-time interconversion
  • Mechanical tests
  • Moisture damage
  • Relaxation test

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