Correlating Laboratory Fatigue Endurance Limits to Field-Measured Strains

• Autores: J. RICHARD WILLIS, DAVID H. TIMM, ADAM J. TAYLOR, N.-H. Tran, ANDREA KVASNAK
• Localización: Asphalt paving technology, ISSN 0270-2932, Vol. 80, 2011, págs. 135-160
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Performance testing was originally developed with the intention of becoming an integral part of the mix design process. This process would ultimately correlate the performance of an asphalt mixture in the laboratory to the expected performance in the field. The most commonly used technique for predicting the fatigue performance of asphalt mixtures in the field is the bending beam fatigue test. While this test methodology has been available for decades, researchers have struggled with developing meaningful relationships between the laboratory and the field. This difficultly has even recently extended to appropriately using the laboratory calculated fatigue endurance limit needed for perpetual pavement design. To examine this issue, three analysis techniques compared measured strain data from embedded asphalt strain gauges under dynamic loading at the 2006 National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) Test Track to laboratorymeasured endurance limits. These analysis techniques were originally used to evaluate fatigue endurance limits of two mixtures placed at the 2003 NCAT Test Track. This research was designed to further validate previous results.

    The first analysis compared the laboratory fatigue endurance limits of the mixtures to field-measured strains at a reference temperature (20C). The analysis was developed to determine if pavements that performed well in the field had field-measured strains less than the endurance limit. As with the previous study, a strong relationship between field-measured strains at a relative temperature and the laboratory fatigue endurance limit did not exist.

    Some test sections with field-measured strains lower than the laboratory fatigue endurance limit cracked. The converse was also true.

    The second analysis technique compared the fatigue endurance limit to a percentile on each section�s cumulative strain distribution. If a greater percentage of strains fell below the fatigue endurance limit, then one would ______________________________________________________ 1National Center for Asphalt Technology 2Auburn University The oral presentation was made by Dr. Willis.