TEST FOR BITUMINOUS/ASPHALT CEMENT

AND OR PAVEMENT

Reporter: ALEX GREGG J. SHIROMA

Wheel Tracking Test
■ The Hamburg Wheel Tracking Device (HWTD), developed in Germany,
can be used to evaluate rutting and stripping potential.
■ typically conducted on 10.2 x 12.6 x 1.6 inch (260 x 320 x 40 mm)
slabs compacted to 7 percent air voids with a linear kneading
compactor. The 1.85 inch (47 mm) wide wheel is tracked across a
submerged (underwater) sample for 20,000 cycles (or until 20 mm of
deformation occurs) using a 158 lb (705 N) load.
■ The Hamburg Wheel Tracking Device (HWTD) tests rut resistance by
tracking a loaded steel wheel back and forth across an asphalt
pavement sample. By repeating this for thousands of cycles, it
simulates the effect of traffic loading on the pavement over time.
■ It is commonly performed on a sample while it is submerged in water.
This allows it to be used to evaluate resistance to moisture damage as
well.
Tri-Axial Test
■ In a triaxial resilient modulus test a repeated axial cyclic stress of fixed magnitude,
load duration and cyclic duration is applied to a cylindrical test specimen.
■ The total resilient (recoverable) axial deformation response of the specimen is
measured and used to calculate the resilient modulus using the following equation:

where:
σ – Dynamic deviator stress
ε – Resilient (recoverable) axial strain
■ For granular soils, the resilient modulus Mr is commonly expressed by the following
regression models to show the variation of the Mr versus the bulk stress (θ) and
confining pressure (σ 3):
■ The following is a basic outline of the triaxial test procedure:

1. The specimen is a cylindrical sample normally 100 mm (4 in.) in

diameter by 200 mm (8 in.) high (Figure 1a). The sample is
generally compacted in the laboratory; however, undisturbed
samples are best if available (which is rare).
2. The specimen is enclosed vertically by a thin “rubber”
membrane and on both ends by rigid surfaces (platens) as
sketched in Figure 1b.
3. The sample is placed in a pressure chamber and a confining
pressure is applied (s3) as sketched in Figure 1c.
4. The deviator stress is the axial stress applied by the testing
apparatus (s1) minus the confining stress (s3). In other words, the
deviator stress is the repeated stress applied to the
sample. These stresses are further illustrated in Figure 2a.
5. The resulting strains are calculated over a gauge length, which
is designated by “L” (refer to Figure 2b).
6. Basically, the initial condition of the sample is unloaded (no
induced stress). When the deviator stress is applied, the sample
deforms, changing in length as shown in Figure 2c. This change in
sample length is directly proportional to the stiffness.
Thermal Stress Restrained Specimen
Test (TSRST)
■ This test is used to determine the low-temperature cracking
susceptibility of asphalt concrete. In the early 1990s the TSRST was
developed by OEM with Oregon State University (OSU) as part of the
Strategic Highway Research Program in the US. The test method
became AASHTO TP10
■ Renamed as Asphalt Pavement Thermal Testing System
In a TSRST Test, a specimen, which length is held constant, is subjected
to a temperature decrease with constant temperature rate.
Due to the prohibited thermal shrinkage, cryogenic stress is built up in
the specimen. The results are the progression of the cryogenic stress
over the temperature scry (T) and the failure stress scry, failure at the
failure temperature Tfailure
UV/VIS SPECTROPHOTOMETRY FOR THE EVALUATION
OF BINDER-AGGREGATE INTERACTIONS
Spectrophotometry
– Is the use of instruments to make the-same measurements. It extends the range
of possible measurements beyond those that can be determined by the eye alone.
– The basic principle of spectrophotometry is “Lambert-Bill” law.
As shown in formula (1), absorbance “A” is proportional to concentration “c” and
absorption coefficient “k” when the thickness of
the absorption cell “b” is constant.

Alog 1/T = kbc (1 )

where:
A – absorbance
C – Concentration
K – absorption coefficient when thickness of absorption cell “b” is constant.
■ The predecessor of spectrophotometry was colorimetry, that was
mainly used to test the content of solute in colored solution. In
colorimetry, a deeper color meant a higher solute content.
■ The color of the solution was compared with a “color palette” by visual
observation to determine the content range of the solute.
An overview for sample preparation and test
method
■ Emulsified asphalt was a dispersion system with water as dispersant as
well as asphalt granules, emulsifier, and additives as dispersions.
■ In the absorption test, the asphalt granules adhered by the emulsifier
were the main absorption factors.
■ In a certain concentration range, the lower the solute concentration, the
more
accurate the test results.
■ Meanwhile, the original emulsified asphalt was too dark to pass through
the light. Therefore, it was necessary to dilute the emulsified asphalt first.
In this study, the emulsified asphalt was diluted 1800 times before test.