Construction and Building Materials 176 (2018) 549–555

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Construction and Building Materials

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Principle analysis of mix design and performance evaluation on

Superpave mixture modified with Buton rock asphalt
Shutang Liu a, Weidong Cao a,⇑, Xiaojun Li b, Zhuozhi Li a, Chunyang Sun a
a
School of Civil Engineering, Shandong University, No. 17923 Jingshi Road, Jinan, Shandong Province 250061, PR China
b
Dept. of Civil & Geomatics Engineering, California State University, Fresno, 2320 E. San Ramon Ave., M/S EE94, Fresno, CA 93740-8030, United States

h i g h l i g h t s

Two equations of Superpave system were analyzed and new equations were established.

Gradation of Superpave mixture modified with BRA was analyzed and designed.

Performances of Superpave mixture modified with BRA were evaluated.

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The main objectives of this study are to conduct principle analysis of mix design and evaluate the perfor-
Received 3 January 2018 mance of the Buton rock asphalt (BRA) modified Superpave mixture through wheel tracking test, freeze–
Received in revised form 11 April 2018 thaw indirect tensile strength ratio test, bending beam test, dynamic modulus test, and flow number (FN)
Accepted 6 May 2018
test. The results prove that the voids in mineral aggregate (VMA) and the initial asphalt content calcu-
lated using the new equations proposed by this study based on theoretical analysis are more accurate
than those of the traditional Superpave’s empirical equations. The high temperature performance and
Keywords:
the moisture damage resistance of the Superpave mixture modified with BRA were improved, but the
Superpave mixture
Buton rock asphalt (BRA)
low temperature performance was slightly declined comparing with the control mixture. The values of
Principle of mix design E⁄/sinu from dynamic modulus test of the BRA modified Superpave mixture were larger than those of
Performance the control mixture at various test temperatures and loading frequencies. In conclusion, the Superpave
Dynamic modulus mixture modified by BRA has excellent high temperature performance.
Flow number (FN) Ó 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction aggregate gradation affected the moisture susceptibility and rut-

The design of aggregate gradation and the determination of
optimum asphalt content are the two core elements in the mix
design of hot mix asphalt mixture (HMA). The mix proportion
design, especially the gradation design, has been studied for a long
time. The grain size distribution or gradation has been identified as
one of the main factors that influence the accumulation of perma-
nent strain and deformation [1]. Amir Golalipour et al. [2] reported
that the aggregate gradation has a critical role in the rutting resis-
tance due to the fact that aggregate structure is the main load car-
rying component of mixtures. Dukatz [3] also concluded that the
rut resistance is ‘‘highly dependent upon aggregate grading” and
that mixes made with the best possible materials will fail without
a proper gradation. The test results from Xiao [4] indicated that
⇑ Corresponding author.
E-mail address: cwd2001@sdu.edu.cn (W. Cao).
ting resistance of open graded friction course (OGFC) mixtures.
Other studies [5–7] indicated that the performance of HMA mix-
ture and eventually the HMA layer in asphalt pavement are
directly affected by aggregate characteristics, particularly, aggre-
gate gradation, shape, angularity, and surface texture. Shen et al.
[8] indicated that aggregate gradation and properties had great
impact on the strength, stability, and fatigue performance of the
HMA mixtures. In order to improve the performance, durability,
safety, and efficiency of asphalt mixtures, the Strategic Highway
Research Program (SHRP), established in 1987, proposed the
Superpave system in 1993. The Superpave system made significant
advancements in the asphalt binder classification and asphalt mix-
ture design [9] and was adopted worldwide. According to China’s
asphalt pavement specification, Marshall experiment design
method, which was impacted by Superpave system, is currently
used in China. Regardless of the Marshall Method or the Superpave
system, the mix design is mainly based on the analysis of volumet-
ric indexes including Va (the volume of air voids) and VMA (voids

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.05.045
0950-0618/Ó 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
550 S. Liu et al. / Construction and Building Materials 176 (2018) 549–555
in the mineral aggregate). The two volumetric indexes play a crit-
ical role in the design process of aggregate gradation. In the Super-
pave system, the aggregate gradation is determined based on the
value of VMA with 4% Va in total mix at the design number of gyra-
tions (Ndesign), and the volumetric properties at the initial and max-
imum number of gyrations (Nini and Nmax). However, the initial
asphalt content and the adjusted VMA at 4% Va are determined
by empirical equations in Superpave mix design procedure.
Buton rock asphalt (BRA) is a type of natural asphalt found in
Buton Island of the South Pacific Indonesia. After a long-term envi-
ronmental action, the components and material properties of BRA
are relatively stable [10]. BRA has gained a wide attention due to
its high asphalt binder content, low cost, and convenience of use
in practice [11]. Previous studies have shown the field performance
of asphalt mixtures modified by BRA and its mechanism. Based on
experimental study of asphalt mixtures modified by BRA, Liu et al.
[12] showed that the asphalt in BRA could dramatically improve
the high temperature performance of the mixtures, while the low
temperature performance was reduced. Asphalt mixture modified
with BRA was reported to have better fatigue resistance than SBS
modified asphalt mixture by Li et al. [13,14]. They explained that
the chemical structure of BRA is similar to that of asphalt binder
and therefore the compatibility of asphalt binder and BRA is better
than that of asphalt binder and SBS. Suaryana [15] investigated the
performance of stone matrix asphalt (SMA) using BRA as stabilizer.
The results indicated that BRA could prevent asphalt draindown as
well as increase the proportion of mineral filler. The addition of
BRA could also improve the performance of the SMA, indicated
by increased dynamic stability. Although studies showed promis-
ing results on the performance of asphalt mixtures with BRA mod-
ification, there are few researches regarding its effects on the
performance of Superpave mixture. The main objectives of this
study are to conduct principle analysis of mix design and evaluate
the performance of Superpave mixture modified with BRA.
2. Design principle analysis of Superpave mix
The design principle and method of Superpave system have
been widely accepted. In Superpave system, Eqs. (1) and (2) are
used to calculate the asphalt content and the VMA corresponding
to 4% Va [16].
Ppre ¼ Pb  0:4  ð4  V a Þ
where Pb is initial asphalt content; Va is air voids of the compacted
asphalt mixture at Pb; Ppre is the predicted asphalt content when Va
is 4%.
VMApre ¼ VMAini þ C  ð4  V a Þ
where VMAini is VMA of compacted asphalt mixture at the initial
asphalt content; C = 0.1, when Va < 4%; C = 0.2, when Va > 4%;
VMApre is the predicted VMA when Va is 4%.
There are four steps to determine the initial asphalt content: 1)
the determination of the effective relative density of mineral
aggregate; 2) the estimation of asphalt volume absorbed by aggre-
gates; 3) the calculation of effective asphalt volume; and 4) the cal-
culation of initial asphalt content. The first three steps are based on
empirical equations. To solve the obvious empirical problems of
determining the initial asphalt content, a new Eq. (3) by mathe-
matical deduction was established according to the calculation
equations for Va and VMA, which could be used to determine the
initial asphalt content for a given aggregate gradation [17]. As a
consequence, the characteristics of Eq. (3) are more theoretical
and less empirical.
 
100  V a 1 1
Pa ¼    ca  100
100  VMA csb cse
where Pa is the asphalt-aggregate ratio, %; Va is the air void (%); VMA
is the voids in mineral aggregate (%); cse is the effective specific
gravity of aggregate; csb is the bulk specific gravity of aggregate;
ca is the specific gravity of asphalt binder.
Eq. (3) reveals the precise physical relationship among Pa, Va,
VMA, specific gravities of aggregate (cse and csb), and specific grav-
ity of asphalt binder (ca) for a given aggregate gradation.
Eqs. (1) and (2) are two critical empirical equations in Super-
pave system, which can be employed to predict the asphalt content
and VMA at Va of 4%. Therefore, it is of importance to evaluate the
reliability and accuracy of Eqs. (1) and (2). Based on other study of
the authors [17], Eq. (1) has reasonable reliability and accuracy.
But Eq. (2) is redundant and can be replaced by Eq. (4), which is
actually obtained from the transformation of Eq. (3) [17].
100  Va
VMA ¼ 100    ð4Þ
csbc þc
1
se
Pa
a
Eq. (4) reveals the physical relationship among the Pa, Va, and
VMA for a given compacted asphalt mixture specimen. If any two
of these variables are known, the third variable can be calculated
through Eq. (4). Notice that when Va is 4%, the asphalt content
(which may be converted into asphalt-aggregate ratio) can be
determined according to Eq. (1). Therefore, the VMA value at Va
of 4% could be calculated solely by Eq. (4).
Eqs. (3) and (4) are different expressions of the same equation
established by mathematical derivation of the general calculation
equations of Va and VMA, which are applicable for all asphalt mix-
tures. However, when Eqs. (3) and (4) are used to predict VMA
value, they are only valid within specific ranges, namely, the bulk
specific gravity of aggregate is within 2.600–2.800 and the VMA
of a compacted asphalt mixture specimen is within 10–17%.
3. Material and mix design
3.1. Materials
3.1.1. Aggregates
Crushed stones of limestone were used as coarse and fine aggregates. In order to
reduce test errors, the aggregates were sieved into each particles size group follow-
ing China Standard T0302-2005 [18]: six particle size groups of coarse aggregates
(26.5–31.5 mm, 19–26.5 mm, 16–19 mm, 13.2–16 mm, 9.5–13.2 mm, and 4.75–
9.5 mm) and two particle size groups of fine aggregates (2.36–4.75 mm and 0.0–
2.36 mm). Properties of aggregates are shown in Table 1, according to Chinese spec-
ð1Þ ifications [19].
3.1.2. Asphalt binder
An asphalt binder with penetration grading of 70 (Pen 70) from a commercial
petroleum company was used in this study. Properties of Pen 70 asphalt binder
ð2Þ are shown in Table 2. The results meet Chinese specifications for asphalt binders
[19].
3.1.3. BRA
BRA used in this study was from a rock asphalt supplier. It is a black solid pow-
der at room temperature, as shown in Fig. 1, containing about 25% asphalt and 75%
mineral powder. The physical properties of BRA and the gradation of the rock min-
eral powder in BRA are shown in Tables 3 and 4, respectively.
3.2. Mix design
3.2.1. Trial gradation
When the grading design is carried out, based on the recommendation of the
supplier, economic consideration, and field experience, the dosage of mineral pow-
der in BRA was determined to be 2% by the total mass of mineral aggregates, which
means that BRA was mixed with the rest of aggregates and limestone mineral filler
in a proportion of 2.67:98. According to Superpave mix design procedure [20], three
initial gradation curves of the nominal maximum-size of 26.5 mm were used as trial
gradations, which located in the upper (gradation 1), the middle (gradation 2), and
the lower (gradation 3) of the range of the control points, respectively, as shown in
Fig. 2. For asphalt mixtures with the nominal maximum-size 26.5 mm, research
ð3Þ showed that the VMA has the minimum value when the percent passing of 2.36
mm (P2.36) is near 24–30% [21]. Gradation with such a P2.36 is a skeleton-dense
 S. Liu et al. / Construction and Building Materials 176 (2018) 549–555 551

Table 1
Properties of aggregates.

Item Test values of each particle size group of aggregate

Particle size /mm 26.5–31.5 19–26.5 16–19 13.2–16 9.5–13.2 4.75–9.5 2.36–4.75 0–2.36
Crushed stone value (%) 18.6 18.6 18.6 18.6 18.6 – – –
L.A. abrasion (%) 18.1 16.8 17.2 16.6 16.8 15.9 17.3 –
Bulk specific gravity 2.711 2.716 2.694 2.708 2.695 2.678 2.710 2.643
Apparent specific gravity 2.751 2.752 2.731 2.754 2.749 2.760 2.774 2.764
Water absorption (%) 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.7 1.0 0.8 1.4
Percent of flat and elongated particles (%) 9.2 10.4 9.4 8.2 10.5 11.6 – –

Table 2
Properties of Pen 70 asphalt binder.

Index Specific gravity (25 °C) Penetration (25 °C, 0.1 mm) Softening point (°C) Ductility (cm)
15 °C 10 °C
Test values 1.032 65 47 >100 40
Specifications – 60–80 43 40 15

20–30 s. Mineral filler was lastly added to the pan mixer and mixed for 10–15 s.
Based on the recommendation of the supplier and the field experience, the mixing
and compaction temperatures of BRA modified Superpave mixture are 170–175 °C
and 150–160 °C, respectively.

3.2.2. Initial asphalt content

In order to compare the results of different methods, two approaches were used
in this study to determine the initial asphalt content. In the first approach, the
asphalt content was estimated according to Superpave system. In the second
approach, the asphalt content was calculated using the theoretical Eq. (3).
Once aggregate gradation is determined, the optimum asphalt content could be
estimated by Eq. (3) as well as the other parameters such as Va, VMA, and voids of
mineral aggregate filled with asphalt (VFA). In this study, the criteria of Va and VMA
were respectively set to be 4% and 12.8% according to Chinese specification [19].
The results of the initial asphalt contents based on the two aforementioned
Fig. 1. Original BRA sample (a) and the burned BRA sample (b).
approaches are shown in Table 5.
From Table 5, it can be seen that there are discrepancies between the results of
the two approaches used in this study. The results of Superpave approach are all
Table 3 smaller than those of Eq. (3). According to the similar engineering experiences,
Physical properties of BRA. the results from Eq. (3) is reasonable; that is, the initial asphalt contents of the three
trial gradations are 4.2%, 4.1%, and 4.1%, respectively.
Properties Test Indonesian standard
values
Lower Upper
limit limit 3.2.3. Determination of gradation
In the Superpave mix design procedure, the aggregate gradation is determined
Asphalt content (%) 25 18 – based on the VMA value at 4% air voids at the design number of gyrations (Ndes), and
Solubility in TCE (%) 25 18 – the volumetric properties at the initial and maximum number of gyrations (Nini and
Density (g/cm3) 1.85 1.70 1.90 Nmax, respectively). If the air voids in the compacted specimen with the initial
Flash point (°C) 272 230 – asphalt content at Ndes is not 4%, then the asphalt content and the VMA at 4% air
Loss on heating (%) 0.56 – 2.0 voids should be estimated using Eqs. (1) and (2), respectively.
Water content (%) 0.65 – 2.0 Previous discussion has indicated that Eq. (2) is redundant and could be
Maximum size of mineral particles 1.18 – 2.0 replaced by Eq. (4). However, for comparison, the results of volumetric parameters
(mm) (in particular VMA) of the three trial gradations using both Eqs. (2) and (4) were
provided in Table 6.
It can be seen from Table 6 that the estimated values of VMA from Eq. (2) were
all larger than those from Eq. (4), and the VMA size sorts do not match each other.
structure gradation, which has the best road performance. Therefore, the P2.36 of the According to the literature [19], the minimum technical standard value of VMA at
proposed gradation 1 was chosen as 26.8%. However, the VMA of the skeleton- 4% Va is 12.0%. Therefore, if the VMA results obtained by Superpave are used, the
dense structure gradation may not satisfy the technical requirement. Thus grada- three gradations all meet the requirement. However, only trial gradation 3 meets
tion 2 and gradation 3, whose P2.36 values are smaller than that of gradation 1 were the minimum VMA requirement using the theoretical results of Eq. (4). According
also tried. According to the VMA change rule revealed in literature [21], the VMA to the literature [17], the results of Eq. (4) are more accurate and reliable. Further-
value of gradation 3 should be larger than gradation 2, followed by gradation 1. more, when using Eq. (4) to calculate VMA, the values of the VMA of the three trial
By the above considerations, it could be ensure that there could have a qualified gradations are consistent with the change law found in literature [21], which con-
gradation with a VMA meeting the standard requirements. firms the previous discussion and verifies the correctness of Eq. (4).
Unlike other commonly used asphalt modifier, the prepared BRA can be fed As a result, trial gradation 3 was chosen as the design gradation based on the
directly into the pugmill or the dryer drum of any asphalt mixing plant. In this VMA values obtained from Eq. (4). The control mixture (Superpave-25 mixture
study, BRA was first added into the hot aggregates and mixed for 10–15 s in the without BRA) employed the same design gradation except for the limestone mineral
pan mixer, then the hot asphalt binder was added and blended continuously for filler instead of the mineral powder in BRA.

Table 4
Gradation of rock mineral powder in BRA.

Sieve sizes (mm) 1.18 0.6 0.3 0.15 0.075

Percent passing (%) 100 97.9 80.8 63.3 54.2
552 S. Liu et al. / Construction and Building Materials 176 (2018) 549–555

Fig. 2. Gradation curves.

Table 5
Results of the initial asphalt contents.

Gradation Effective Specific Gravity (cse) Bulk Specific Gravity (csb) Asphalt content/%
Superpave Eq. (3)
1 2.697 2.667 3.9 4.2
2 2.697 2.670 3.9 4.1
3 2.698 2.670 3.9 4.1

Table 6
Volumetric parameters of three trial gradations.

Gradation AC (%) Ppre (%) Va (%) VMA (%) VFA (%) DP

Eq. (2) Eq. (4) Eq. (2) Eq. (4)
1 4.2 3.76 4.0 12.11 11.90 67.0 66.4 1.44
2 4.1 3.72 4.0 12.09 11.91 66.9 66.4 1.42
3 4.1 3.91 4.0 12.40 12.31 67.7 67.5 1.30

Note: AC denotes asphalt content; DP denotes dust-to-binder ratio.

3.2.4. Optimum asphalt content
BRA modified Superpave mixtures with four asphalt contents (3.41%, 3.91%,
4.41%, and 4.91%, including the asphalt in BRA) were produced and two specimens
were fabricated for each mixture. The relationships between volumetric properties
and asphalt contents are shown in Fig. 3.
It can be seen from Fig. 3 that the asphalt content is 3.9% when the Va is 4%. Also,
when the asphalt content is 3.9%, all volumetric properties satisfy the Chinese spec-
ifications [19]. In Chinese specification, the Va and VFA standard are 3–5% and 55–
70%, respectively. The minimum VMA requirements corresponding to the nominal
maximum size of aggregate and the air voids designed are shown in Table 7.
So the optimum asphalt content of BRA modified Superpave mixture was deter-
mined to be 3.9% (including the asphalt in BRA), which is consistent with the pre-
dicted value from Table 6. The results again indicate that Eq. (3) is valid and
relatively accurate. The control mixture employed the same optimum asphalt
content.
4. Experiment program and test methods
Three fundamental performance tests were adopted in the lab-
oratory to evaluate the effect of the BRA on the high temperature
performance, low temperature performance, and moisture suscep-
tibility of modified Superpave mixture. The tests performed were
wheel tracking, low temperature bending beam, and freeze–thaw
indirect tensile test. The dynamic modulus test and the flow num-
ber (FN) test were conducted to compare the difference in rutting
resistance performance of the BRA modified Superpave mixture
and the control mixture.
4.1. Wheel tracking test
The wheel tracking test was conducted employing the wheel-
tracking device shown in Fig. 4 for the evaluation of pavement rut-
ting performance at high temperature. Three specimens were
tested for each mixture. The wheel tracking test was performed
using 0.7 MPa wheel load at 60 °C under dry conditions according
to standard test methods of bituminous mixtures for highway
engineering in China [22]. The performance indicator of dynamic
stability (DS), which is defined as the number of wheel passes on
the specimen per 1 mm rutting depth within a time interval
between 45 and 60 min, can be calculated using Eq. (5) as follows
[22]:
ðt2  t1 Þ  N
DS ¼ ð5Þ
d2  d1
where d1 is the rutting depth at t1 (45 min), mm; d2 is the rutting
depth at t2 (60 min), mm; and N is the speed of the wheel passing
on the center of the specimen, 42 cycles a minute.
The higher the DS value of an asphalt mixture, the better the
permanent deformation resistance at high temperature.
 S. Liu et al. / Construction and Building Materials 176 (2018) 549–555 553

Fig. 5. UTM-100 used.

Fig. 3. Relationships between volumetric properties and asphalt contents.
strain control loading speed of 50 mm per minute was used. The
displacements were measured using a linear voltage differential
Table 7
transducer (LVDT). The failure strain (FS) can be calculated using
The minimum VMA requirements (%).
Eq. (6) as follows [22]:
Air voids designed (%) Nominal maximum size of
aggregate (mm) 6hd
eB ¼ ð6Þ
26.5 19 L2
3 11 12 where eB is the failure strain (le); h is the height of the specimen at
4 12 13
mid-span section (mm); d is the displacement at mid-span of the
5 13 14
specimen (mm); and L is the span length of the specimen (mm).
The larger the failure strain FS, the better the low temperature
cracking resistance performance of the mixture.

4.3. Indirect tensile strength ratio test

The freeze–thaw indirect tensile strength ratio (TSR) test was

performed following the standard test method T0729-2000 in
China [22], which is mostly equivalent to AASHTO T283. This test
analyzes the impact of saturation in water on the indirect tensile
strength of Marshall Specimen.
The TSR was expressed as the ratio of the indirect tensile
strength measured using specimens without moisture condition-
ing to that measured using specimens after the moisture condi-
tioning, as in Eq. (7) [22]:

TSc
TSR ¼ ð7Þ
TSd
where TSc is the average indirect tensile strength of moisture con-
ditioned group (Pa); and TSd is the average indirect tensile strength
of dry group (Pa).
The higher the TSR value, the higher the resistance to moisture
Fig. 4. Wheel tracking test device. damage of the asphalt mixture.

4.2. Bending beam test 4.4. Dynamic modulus test

The bending beam test was carried out at 10 °C following Tests were carried out as per AASHTO TP62 [23] using the sim-
China Standard T 0715-2011 [22] using a UTM-100 equipment, ple performance tester (SPT) shown in Fig. 6 to characterize the
as shown in Fig. 5. The specimens were prepared by cutting the test dynamic modulus of asphalt concrete mixes. The dynamic modu-
specimens mentioned previously along the rolling direction. A lus test was conducted under unconfined condition at three differ-
554 S. Liu et al. / Construction and Building Materials 176 (2018) 549–555
Fig. 6. Simple performance tester.
ent temperatures (20, 30, and 40 °C). At each temperature, the test
was performed at nine different frequencies (25, 20, 10, 5, 2, 1, 0.5,
0.2, and 0.1 Hz). There were three replicates were used for each
testing condition. Load levels were selected in such a way that at
each temperature – frequency combination, the applied strain
was in range of 75–125 micro strain, to ensure that testing was
conducted in the linear viscoelastic range of mixes [24]. The
applied stress and resulting axial strain from three LVDT mounted
on the side of each specimen were recorded as a function of time.
The tests were conducted from the lowest temperature to the high-
est temperature and from the highest frequency to the lowest fre-
quency. This method was used to minimize the damage to the
specimens. Dynamic modulus |E⁄| was computed automatically
by the test software.
4.5. Flow number test
The flow number (FN) test was carried out to investigate the
visco-elasto-plastic behavior and to determine the permanent
deformation resistance of the asphalt mixes. The FN test was con-
ducted at a repeated compressive Haversine loading (1 cycle with
0.1 s loading time and 0.9 s resting time) to measure vertical accu-
mulated permanent strains as a function of loading cycles [25]. The
vertical stress of 700 kPa was selected to simulate the traffic load-
ing condition in the field.
5. Results and discussions
5.1. Results of the three fundamental performance tests
Three replicates were used in the wheel tracking tests, freeze–
thaw indirect tensile strength ratio test, and beam bending tests.
The average values of DS, FS, and TSR of BRA modified Superpave
mixture and the control mixture were shown in Fig. 7.
It can be seen from Fig. 7 that the DS value and the TSR value of
BRA modified Superpave mixture increased about 65% and 6%,
respectively, while the failure strain FS decreased about 2% com-
pared with the control mixture. It indicates that the addition of
BRA can improve the high temperature performance and the mois-
ture damage resistance of Superpave mixture, but has a slight
adverse effect on the low-temperature cracking performance.
5.2. Results of dynamic modulus test
The dynamic modulus is one of the most critical parameters as
design input of Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide
4500 100
4000 DS 90
FS 80
DS (cycles/mm) & FS (με˅
3500
TSR 70
3000
60
TSR (%)
2500
50
2000
40
1500
30
1000 20
500 10
0 0
Control mixture Superpave+BRA
Fig. 7. Results of fundamental performance tests.
(MEPDG). It is one of the key parameters used to evaluate the per-
manent deformation and fatigue cracking distresses of asphalt
pavement. Based on the results of the dynamic modulus E⁄ and
the phase angles u at different temperatures and frequencies, the
coefficient of E⁄/sinu was calculated, which is similar to the rutting
factor of G⁄/sind of asphalt binder defined in the Superpave asphalt
binder specification. Previous research showed that there was a
good correlation between the coefficient of E⁄/sinu and the rutting
resistance. The E⁄/sinu is also recommended as the evaluation
parameter of the high temperature performance of HMA [26].
The resulted values of E⁄/sinu are shown in Fig. 8.
It can be seen from Fig. 8 that the E⁄/sinu values of both the BRA
modified Superpave mixture and the control mixture increased
with the increase of the loading frequency at a constant testing
temperature, while decreased with the increase of the testing tem-
perature under a constant loading frequency. With the increase of
the temperature, the viscous component of the mixture increased,
while its elastic component decreased, which can result in the
increase of the viscous deformation potential of the specimens.
In this case, the decrease of the dynamic modulus and/or the
increase of the phase angle can result in the decrease of the values
of the coefficient of E⁄/sinu, which can be used as a permanent
deformation indicator. At various testing temperatures and fre-
quencies, the E⁄/sinu values of the BRA modified Superpave mix-
ture are larger than those of the control mixture, which indicates
that the high temperature permanent deformation resistance of
the BRA modified Superpave mixture is better than that of the con-
trol mixture. This could be due to the higher stiffness of the BRA
modified Superpave mixture resulted from the interlocking effect,
reinforcement, and modification of BRA during the blending and
mixing process of the hot aggregates with the modifiers at higher
temperature.
Fig. 8. Results of dynamic modulus test.
 S. Liu et al. / Construction and Building Materials 176 (2018) 549–555
Fig. 9. Results of FN test.
5.3. Results of the FN test
The FN test was conducted at four different temperatures (30
°C, 40 °C, 50 °C, and 60 °C). FN is the number of load cycles after
which the mixture enters the tertiary zone (i.e., onset of tertiary
flow), which corresponds to the minimum value of the strain rate.
The average FN values of the three replicates of the two mixtures at
different temperatures were shown in Fig. 9. It can be seen from
Fig. 9 that the FN of BRA modified asphalt mixtures at various tem-
peratures are much larger than those of the control mixture. This
indicates that the addition of BRA dramatically improves the rut-
ting resistance of Superpave mixture used in this study.
6. Conclusions
On the basis of the design principle analysis of Superpave mix
design procedure and the performance evaluation of BRA modified
Superpave mixture, the main findings and conclusions are summa-
rized as follows:
(1) For the determination of the initial asphalt content and the
selection of the appropriate gradation, the new theoretical
equations used to determine the initial asphalt content and
the VMA showed advantage and applicability, compared
with the empirical equations in Superpave system.
(2) The addition of BRA can improve the high temperature per-
formance and moisture damage resistance of the Superpave
mixture compared with the control mixture, but has slightly
adverse effect on its low temperature performance.
(3) Based on the dynamic modulus test, the values of the coeffi-
cient of E⁄/sinu of the BRA modified Superpave mixture were
larger than those of the control mixture at various testing
temperatures and frequencies, which indicates that the
BRA modified Superpave mixture has better rutting
resistance.
(4) The FNs of the BRA modified Superpave mixture were larger
than those of the control mixture. It can be inferred that the
BRA modification improves the permanent deformation
resistance of mixes at high temperature.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by Primary Research & Development Plan
of Shandong Province in China (2016GSF116001) and Natural
555
Science Fund of Shandong Province in China (ZR2013EEM028),
and the authors would like to acknowledge their financial support.
Conflict of interest
We confirm that there are no known conflicts of interest associ-
ated with this publication and there has been no significant finan-
cial support for this work that could have influenced its outcome.
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