Laboratory Performance Evaluation of Alternative Approaches to Incorporate Recycled Binder Availability into Mixture Design Procedures

There is currently uncertainty in how to properly account for partial recycled binder availability within asphalt mixture design procedures so that content of recycled asphalt materials (RAM) can be maximized while still achieving good performance. This study evaluates and compares two alternative approaches to consider partial availability in mixture design: availability adjusted mix design (AAMD) and corrected optimum asphalt content (COAC). The AAMD method revises the calculation of volumetric properties by considering unavailable binder as part of the bulk aggregate volume and uses the RAM gradation to design the aggregate structure. In the COAC method, a mixture is first designed following the conventional Superpave procedures and then a specified increase to the virgin asphalt content is made. Two “control” mixtures containing RAM are evaluated that were originally designed according to the standard Superpave method. Alternative designs were prepared according to the COAC and AAMD methods while maintaining the RAM content in the respective control mixture. Baseline virgin mixtures and one mixture designed following the AAMD method with higher reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) content were also prepared. The cracking and rutting performance of the resultant mixtures was evaluated. The results show that the AAMD and COAC approaches lead to an improved cracking performance compared with the control mixtures even for the mixture designed with AAMD at a higher RAP content. However, the mixture designs prepared according to the COAC method presented increased rutting whereas the AAMD mixtures remained at the same level as their respective control mixture.