PAVDAM - probabilistic and volumetric design of asphalt mixtures

The dissertation presents a design procedure for HMA mixes based on probabilistic and volumetric approaches, hereafter referred to as PAVDAM. Central to PAVDAM is the use of an analytical model for estimating the voids in the mineral aggregate (VMA) of asphalt mixes. Validation of the mix design procedure was done through accelerated pavement testing (APT) with the Model Mobile Load Simulator (MMLS3) at the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) test track in Opelika, Alabama. In addition, the semi-circular bending (SCB) test was evaluated to serve as an analysis tool to augment the proposed mix design procedure. Non-linear finite element analyses using a quasi-isotropic material model were done using the CAPA-3D finite element system developed at the Technical University of Delft in the Netherlands to better characterise the tensile strength properties of specimens tested with the SCB. PAVDAM is partly based on performance related and analytical procedures such as the Stategic Highway Research Program (SHRP) Superpave and the Belgium Road Research Centre (BRRC) design method. The mix design system was developed based on gyratory compaction procedures. In this regard, the criteria relating gyratory compaction to design traffic as specified in Superpave are used. PAVDAM differs from other mix design methods in that a probabilistic approach is used to account for the variabilities associated with mixture components and properties during the manufacturing stage. It serves as a subset of the volumetric optimisation stage of the mix design process. The development of an analytical model to estimate the VMA of an asphalt mix was the central theme of the dissertation. The analytical model developed is based on modified Aim and Toufar (MAT) packing models developed under SHRP research and used in the concrete industry. The MAT packing models are based on the theory iii Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za