Use of Tensile Creep Test (TCT) for evaluation of low temperature performance of bituminous mixtures used for bridge pavement

摘要

One of the main causes of road pavement distress are low temperatures, and hence the need to thoroughly study the low temperature performance of all bituminous materials used in road construction. The purpose of this study was to determine the performance of alternative and conventional bituminous mixtures in the temperature range between -25℃ and -1O℃ using for this purpose the Tensile Creep Test (TCT). The low-temperature performance data were evaluated using the Burgers model, a tool that is widely used for evaluation of bituminous mixtures. This research focuses on bridge paving mixtures. These included both conventional (mastic asphalt) and alternative (SMA-MA) materials. It was established, based on the test results and their analysis, that low temperature performance of a bituminous mixture is influenced, in the first place, by the characteristics of the asphalt binder it contains. Furthermore, SMA-MA mixtures showed better low temperature performance than conventional, mastic asphalt type mixtures.