Superpave

Binder Specifications

Superpave
Mix Design Specifications

Simple Performance Tester

SUPERPAVE Bitumen
Specification
 Penetration Testing
 Sewing machine needle
 Specified load, time, temperature

100 g Penetration in 0.1 mm

Initial After 5 seconds

Penetration Specification

Five Grades
• 40 - 50
• 60 - 70
• 85 - 100
• 120 - 150
• 200 - 300
 Strategic Highway Research
Program (SHRP)
 From October 1987 through March 1993
 Cost $150 million
 SUPERPAVE (SUperior PERformance PAVEment)
System
 Develop Performance-based asphalt binder
specification
 Volumetric mix design and analysis Procedure
 Superpave Asphalt Binder
Specification
The grading system is based on Climate

PG 64 - 22

Min pavement
Performance temperature
Grade
Average 7-day max
pavement temperature
 PG Specifications
 Fundamental properties related to
pavement performance
 Environmental factors
 In-service & construction temperatures
 Short and long term aging
 PG Specifications
 Based on rheological testing
– Rheology: study of flow and deformation
 Asphalt cement is a viscoelastic material
 Behavior depends on:
– Temperature
– Time of loading
– Aging (properties change with time)

8
 Thermal Fatigue Permanent Workability
Cracking Cracking Deformation

S (60s) < 300 MPa G*sin delta G*/sin delta Viscosity at 20 rpm
m (60s) > 0.300 < 5.0 MPa unaged > 1.0 kPa < 3.0 Pa-sec
Failure strain > 0.01 RTFO > 2.2 kPa
RTFO & Unaged
DT PAV & RTFO
(Thermal
Cracking
Intermediate High Brookfield
Resistance)
Temperature Temperature Viscosity
DSR DSR (Workability)
(Fatigue (Rutting
BBR Resistance) Resistance)
(Thermal Cracking
Resistance)

-20 20 60 135

Pavement Temperature, °C
 High Temperature Behavior
 High in-service temperature
– Desert climates
– Summer temperatures Viscous Liquid
 Sustained loads
– Slow moving trucks
– Intersections

10
 Permanent Deformation

Function of warm weather and traffic

 Fatigue Cracking
At intermediate temperature
Function of repeated traffic loads over time
(in wheel paths)
 Low Temperature Behavior
 Low Temperature
– Cold climates
– Winter Elastic Solid
 Rapid Loads
– Fast moving trucks

13
 Pavement Behavior
(Low Temperatures)
 Thermal cracks
– Stress generated by contraction due to drop in
temperature
– Crack forms when thermal stresses exceed
ability of material to relieve stress through
deformation
 Material is brittle
 Depends on source of asphalt and aggregate
properties
14
Thermal Cracking

Function of cold weather

BINDER REQUIRED TESTS
 Flash Point (Safety)

Thermometer

Cup filled with

asphalt

Wand attached
to gas line > 230 C
 Tests Used in PG Specifications
Construction

RV DSR BBR

19
Rotational Viscometer
(Brookfield)
 Rotational Viscometer
(Brookfield)

Torque Motor
Inner Cylinder

Thermosel
Environmental
Chamber

Digital Temperature
< 3000cP Controller
 Mixing/Compaction Temps
Viscosity, Pa s
10
5

1
.5 0.28±0.03
.3 Compaction Range
.2 Mixing Range
0.17±0.02
.1
100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180 190 200
Temperature, C
 Mixing/Compaction Temps
 To establish mixing and compaction temperatures it is
necessary to develop a temperature viscosity chart. This
can be done by determining the viscosity at two different
temperatures - generally 135 and 165 C. These two
viscosities are then plotted on the graph above and a
straight line is drawn between the two points.

 The desired viscosity range for mixing is between 0.15 and

0.19 Pa-s and 0.25 and 0.31 Pa-s for compaction.
Appropriate mixing and compaction temperatures are
selected as the temperature where these viscosity
requirements are met.
 Rutting

RV BBR

DSR 25
DSR Equipment
25 mm Plate with Sample

27
Motor

Parallel Plates
with Sample

Area for
Liquid Bath

28
 Oscillating Plate
B C
A
Fixed Plate

Test operates at 10 rad/sec

B or 1.59 Hz

360o = 2 radiansper circle

Time 1 rad = 57.3o
A
A

C
1 cycle
 Elastic Viscous
B

Strain
A
Time
A

Strain in-phase Strain out-of-phase

 = 0o  = 90o

30
Complex Modulus, G*

Viscous Modulus, G”

Storage (elastic) Modulus, G’

Complex Modulus is the vector sum of the

storage and viscous modulus 31
 Permanent Deformation
Addressed by:
G*/sin  on unaged binder > 1.00 kPa

For the early part

of the service life

32
 Permanent Deformation
Question: Why a minimum G*/sin  to address
rutting
Answer: We want a stiff, elastic binder to contribute
to mix rutting resistance
How: By increasing G* or decreasing 

33
 Short Term Binder Aging
 Rolling Thin Film Oven
– Simulates aging from hot mixing and construction
Inside of RTFO

Fan

Rotating
Bottle
Carriage

Air Line
37
Bottles Before and After
Testing

Opening in
Bottle

38
 Testing
 Calculate mass loss after RTFO
Original mass - Aged mass
Mass loss, % = x 100
Original mass

 Determine G*/sin  for RTFO aged material at

same test temp. used for original asphalt
cement
39
 Rutting

RV BBR

DSR 42
 Permanent Deformation
Addressed by:
G*/sin  on un-aged binder > 1.00 kPa
G*/sin  on RTFO aged binder > 2.20 kPa

For the early part

of the service life

43
Pressure Aging Vessel
 Pressure Aging Vessel
(Long Term Aging)
• Simulates aging of an asphalt binder for 7
to 10 years
• 50 gram sample is aged for 20 hours
• Pressure of 2,070 kPa (300 psi)
• At 90, 100 or 110 C

47
 Fatigue

RV BBR

DSR 48
 Fatigue Cracking

• G* (sin ) on RTFO and PAV aged binder

• The parameter addresses the later part of the
fatigue life
• Value must be < 5000 kPa

49
 Fatigue Cracking

• Question: Why a maximum G* sin  to address

fatigue?

Answer: We want a soft elastic binder (to

sustain many loads without cracking)

How: By decreasing G* or decreasing 

50
 Thermal
Cracking

RV BBR
DSR

52
Bending Beam Rheometer
Equipment
Bending Beam Rheometer
Sample

54
 Bending Beam Rheometer

Deflection Transducer
Computer
Air Bearing

Load Cell Fluid Bath

55
 Bending Beam Rheometer
 S(t) = P L3
4 b h3  (t)

Where:
S(t) = creep stiffness (M Pa) at time, t
P = applied constant load, N
L = distance between beam supports (102 mm)
b = beam width, 12.5 mm
h = beam thickness, 6.25 mm
d(t) = deflection (mm) at time, t
56
 Bending Beam Rheometer
 Evaluates low temperature stiffness properties
– Creep stiffness (< 300MPA)
– Slope of response (called m-value) (>0.3)

Log Creep
Stiffness, S(t)

8 15 30 60 120 240
57
Log Loading Time, t (sec)
89.6789 0.2895
300 < S < 600 MPAA THE DTT
 REQUIREMENTS CAN BE
USED  IN LIEU OF BBR
REQUIREMENTS.
300 MPa < S < 600 MPa
and
m > 0.3
DTT  requirements can be
used  in lieu of BBR
requirements
Direct Tension Test

FHWA
Direct Tension Test

Courtesy of FHWA
63
 Direct Tension Test
Load
Stress = = P / A

L f

 Le

f
Strain

f ≥ 1.0%
 Summary
Fatigue Low Temp
Cracking Cracking
Construction Rutting

[DTT]

[RV]
[DSR] [BBR]

RTFO
No aging Short Term Aging
PAV
Long Term Aging
65
 Performance Grades
CEC
 How to Determine Required
Performance Grade (PG)
 Determine
– 7-day max pavement temperatures
– 1-day minimum pavement temperature
 Effect of Loading Rate
on Binder Selection
90 kph
 Example
– for toll road PG 64-22
– for toll booth PG 70-22 Slow
– for weigh stations PG 76-22

Stopping