Wheel tracking methods to evaluate moisture sensitivity of hot-mix asphalt mixtures

Abstract

Existing test methods to determine moisture sensitivity in hot-mix asphalt (HMA) mixtures are time consuming and inconsistent. This research focused on wheel tracking devices to evaluate moisture sensitivity. The Asphalt Pavement Analyzer (APA) and the Hamburg Wheel Tracking Device (HWTD) were used for this research. Compacted cylindrical samples were fabricated using a Superpave Gyratory compactor. This study selected two most commonly used mixtures, SM-12.5A with PG 64-22 binder in overlay projects and SM-19A mixtures with PG 64-22 binder for major modification projects at Kansas Department of Transportation. Test results show that APA tests could induce stripping in most samples without any anti-stripping agent, which could be identified visually. However, APA results did not indicate any stripping inflection point while the HWTD results showed stripping inflection points, which are important to identify stripping potential of mixtures. The APA results show that wet tests are severe at lower temperatures. The HWTD results show improvement in the performance using anti-stripping agents at later stage. The HWTD test is more effective as a rapid test method in case of determining moisture sensitivity. Laboratory results from this study should be verified and correlated with field performance.

Keywords

hot-mix asphalt / moisture sensitivity / rutting / wheel tracking test

References

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Acknowledgements

Acknowledgement The authors wish to thank the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) for its financial support. Mr. Cliff Hobson at KDOT was the project monitor of this research. His guidance and coordination were important for the completion of this project. This is a joint research project between the University of Kansas (KU) and Kansas State University (KSU). Prof. Mustaque Hossain and his former doctoral student, Dr. Chandra Manandhar at KSU provided cooperation and shared test data. The authors are thankful for their cooperation and support.

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