Characterization of Low Temperature Cracking Potential for Westrack Paving Materials

摘要

A large portion of the paved highways in the United States are located in regions which experience freezing temperatures. It is well known that under extremely cold temperatures asphalt concrete pavements will undergo thermal stresses sometimes resulting in thermal cracking. An asphalt pavement that has developed thermal cracks in its wearing surface will experience a reduction in service life precipitating higher maintenance and rehabilitation costs. Therefore, one method of providing better quality highways at a reduced cost is to design asphalt pavements that can resist thermal cracking. In an attempt to further characterize the effects of cold temperatures on asphalt pavement the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) authorized the construction of WesTrack. WesTrack is the FHWA's newest pavement testing facility located outside Reno, Nevada. The primary purpose of WesTrack is to serve as a working field laboratory for the development of Performance-Related Specifications (PRS) . A secondary purpose of WesTrack is to serve as field validation of Superpave mix design and performance prediction concepts. It is anticipated that Superpave will provide a more reliable method of binder selection and minimize thermal cracking of asphalt concrete pavement.