A Manual for Design of Hot Mix Asphalt with Commentary

This Final Report incorporates the many advances in materials characterization and hot-mix asphalt (HMA) mix design technology developed since the conclusion of the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP).



Contents
1 Chapter 1 Introduction
4 Chapter 2 Background
4 Materials Used in Making Asphalt Concrete
5 Asphalt Concrete Pavements
7 How Asphalt Concrete Pavements Fail
10 Asphalt Concrete Mixtures
12 HMA Mix Design Methods
15 Chapter 3 Asphalt Binders
17 Performance Grading of Asphalt Binders—Overview
17 Performance Grading—Test Methods
22 Performance Grading—Specification
24 Critical Temperatures, Specification Values, and Reliability
26 Practical Selection of PG Binder Grades for HMA Mix Design
28 Chapter 4 Aggregates
28 Aggregate Particle Size Distribution
33 Aggregate Specific Gravity and Absorption
38 Aggregate Specification Properties
43 Source Aggregate Properties
46 Chapter 5 Mixture Volumetric Composition
46 Composition Factors
53 Mixture-Specific Gravity
56 Volumetric Analysis
65 Chapter 6 Evaluating the Performance of Asphalt Concrete Mixtures
66 Mixture Composition and Performance
71 Laboratory Testing
82 Performance Predictions Using the AASHTO Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG)
91 Chapter 7 Selection of Asphalt Concrete Mix Type
91 Pavement Structure and Construction
95 Important Factors in Mix Selection
98 Recommended Mix Types
101 Chapter 8 Design of Dense-Graded HMA Mixtures
101 Other Mix Design Methods
106 Overview of Design Method
107 Step 1. Gather Information
108 Step 2. Select Asphalt Binder
111 Step 3. Determine Compaction Level
111 Step 4. Select Nominal Maximum Aggregate Size
112 Step 5. Determine Target VMA and Design Air Void Content
114 Step 6. Calculate Target Binder Content
114 Step 7. Calculate Aggregate Content
114 Step 8. Proportion Aggregates for Trial Mixtures
124 Step 9. Calculate Trial Mix Proportions by Weight and Check Dust/Binder Ratio
128 Step 10. Evaluate and Refine Trial Mixtures
145 Step 11. Compile Mix Design Report
148 Chapter 9 Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement
148 General Mixture Design Considerations for RAP
150 Overview of the Mixture Design Process with RAP
151 A Note on General Methods of Handling RAP
151 Using HMA Tools to Design HMA Mixes with RAP
152 RAP Sampling
153 Blending and Variability
161 RAP Aggregate Properties
164 RAP Binder Properties
170 Handling RAP Materials in the Laboratory
174 Chapter 10 Design of Gap-Graded HMA Mixtures
174 Overview of GGHMA Mix Design Procedure
176 Step 1—Materials Selection
179 Step 2—Trial Gradations
188 Step 3—Selection of Optimum Gradation
189 Step 4—Refine Design Asphalt Binder Content
189 Step 5—Conduct Performance Testing
191 Trouble Shooting GGHMA Mix Designs
194 Chapter 11 Design of Open-Graded Mixtures
195 Overview of PFC Mix Design Procedure
195 Step 1—OGFC Materials Selection
198 Step 2—Trial Gradations
203 Step 3—Selection of Optimum Gradation
203 Step 4—Selection of Optimum Asphalt Binder Content
205 Step 5—Moisture Susceptibility
205 Trouble Shooting PFC Mix Designs
207 Chapter 12 Field Adjustments and Quality Assurance of HMA Mixtures
207 Adjusting Laboratory HMA Mix Designs for Plant Production
211 Quality Control of HMA
225 Commentary to the Mix Design Manual for Hot Mix Asphalt
226 Chapter 1 Introduction
227 Chapter 2 Background
228 Chapter 3 Asphalt Binders
229 Chapter 4 Aggregates
231 Chapter 5 Mixture Volumetric Composition
232 Chapter 6 Evaluating the Performance of Asphalt Concrete Mixtures
240 Chapter 7 Selection of Asphalt Concrete Mix Type
241 Chapter 8 Design of Dense-Graded HMA Mixtures
253 Chapter 9 Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement
265 Chapter 10 Design of Gap-Graded HMA Mixtures
266 Chapter 11 Design of Open-Graded Mixtures
267 Chapter 12 Field Adjustments and Quality Assurance of HMA Mixtures
271 References