摘要: |
A number of hot mix asphalt (HMA) types, such as permeable friction course (PFC), stone mastic asphalt (SMA), performance design mixes and conventional dense graded mixes are currently used to construct or overlay Texas roads. One of the important inputs into current pavement design programs used by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is the performance lives of HMA mixes since they significantly impact the life cycle cost analyses of the pavement structures and the ultimate selection of the HMA type. Knowing performance lives is also key information when developing pavement maintenance programs. Currently, the estimated performance life of different HMA mixes (including the frequency of overlay) by the designers in Texas is highly subjective. The project will address this problem not only in terms of the properties of the asphalt mix type but also in the context of the actual pavement design process (e.g., staged construction vs. perpetual pavement), quality of construction, maintenance needs, traffic volume, and environmental conditions. |