Thermal Stress Measurements in Asphalt Concrete
Abstract
Asphalt concrete (AC) pavements in cold regions are prone to thermal cracking. There are two theories to explain this. The first one is that at some low temperature, the thermal stress in the pavement structure exceeds the tensile strength of the mixture, usually in the winter. The second is that the AC mixture fails through thermal fatigue that is caused by daily temperature cycling. There are many ways of characterizing AC performance at low temperatures, and this report summarizes the different failure criteria and test methods for doing this. One test method described here that CRREL has developed is a thermal stress test device for measuring thermally induced stresses in the laboratory. The device can be used for monotonic and cyclic loading, while various temperature drop rates can be applied to the specimen. The calibration of the test apparatus, loading pattern and specimen configuration used are described and typical results are presented. Asphalt concrete, Flexible pavements, Thermal stress test Cracking, Thermal cracking, Cold regions, Thermal stress,
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1993
- Accession Number
- ADA269926
Entities
People
- John Bayer Jr.
- Michael R. Walsh
- Vincent Janoo
Organizations
- Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory