Evaluation of selected warm mix asphalt technologies

The overall objective of this study was to assess the performance of warm mix asphalt (WMA) mixtures in South Dakota based on laboratory and field evaluations. The study included three WMA technologies (Advera, Evotherm, and foaming) and three aggregate types (limestone, quartzite, and natural gravel). A comprehensive laboratory programme was conducted to assess the impact of WMA in terms of stiffness and mixtures’ resistance to moisture damage, rutting, fatigue cracking, and thermal cracking. Overall, the WMA mixtures performed comparatively similar to the hot mix asphalt (HMA) mixtures. The impact of the WMA technology was found to be aggregate dependent. WMA test sections were constructed on four Highways in South Dakota to validate the laboratory findings. During construction, percent compaction, roughness measurements were collected. Field observations indicated that WMA mixtures can be successfully produced and constructed using South Dakota's materials.