Mechanical characterisation of bituminous concrete mixtures using asphalt mixture performance tester (AMPT)

The Government of India has set up an investment plan of 323,000 crores in the 12th five year plan for road construction and infrastructure industry. In addition, more than twice this amount is likely to be contributed by the private investors engaged in the road sector industry (NBMCW 2012). Taking into account this considerable investment in road construction, it is required that robust design methods are followed during the initial phase of construction as the maintenance cost of these structures are likely to be higher than the initial expenditure for construction. Hence, considerable research and development work in terms of material characterisation, stress analysis and distress prediction is urgently required.