A comparative analysis of the fracture performance of wearing course mixtures under different geometries, compactions, and aggregate gradations

ABSTRACT For more than one decade, the simplicity of the notched semi-circular bending (SCB) test has gained increasing interest in evaluating the fracture characteristics of asphalt mixtures. This study investigated if the notched SCB test presents a viable alternative to the three-point bending beam (TPBB) test for assessing fracture properties of asphalt mixtures at intermediate temperature conditions. The TPBB test was conducted using the JRA B005 standard, and the notched SCB test was performed using the following three standards: EN 12697-44, AASHTO TP 105-13, and AASHTO TP 124-16. In addition, this analysis investigated the cracking resistance of a variety of dense-, coarse-, and fine-graded mixtures with a 12.5-mm nominal maximum particle size. The experiments showed that the notched SCB test using the EN 12697–44 standard may be able to replace the TPBB test for assessing the cracking resistance of asphalt mixtures. This study also examined the effects of aggregate gradation and asphalt content on the cracking performance of asphalt mixtures using the characteristics of continuous maximum density, the dominant aggregate size range model, and apparent film thickness.

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