AASHO ROAD TEST

The AASHO Road Test, a $27 million dollars (1960) investment and was conceived and
sponsored by the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) as a study of the
performance of highway pavement structures of known thickness under moving loads of known
magnitude and frequency (Highway Research Board, 1961).  The test studied both Portland
cement concrete and asphaltic concrete pavements, as well as certain types of short-span
bridges.

 INFORMATION OBTANIED:

The information obtained from the AASHO Road Test was crucial in advancing knowledge of
pavement structural design, pavement performance, load equivalencies, climate effects, and
much more. 

 LOCATION:  OTTAWA, ILLINOIS

The AASHO Road Test site (which eventually became part of I-80) at Ottawa, Illinois, was typical
of northern climates (Table 1).

Table 1: AASHO Road Test Weather

Average Mean Temperature (July) 24.5°C (76°F)

Average Mean Temperature (January) -2.8°C (27°F)
Annual Average Rainfall 837 mm (34 inches)
Average Depth of Frost (for fine-grained 711 mm (28 inches)
soil)

 TIME

 Construction: August 1956 – September 1958

 Test Traffic: October 1958 – November 1960
 Special Studies: Spring and early summer 1961

 TEST FACILITIES

 Six 2-lane test loops (see Figure 1)

 Loop 1 = not subject to traffic, used to test environmental effects
 Loops 2 through 6 = subject to traffic described in Figure 2


Figure 1: Loop 5 and 6 AASHO Road

Test layout (redrawn from Highway Research Board, 1961).
 Figure 2: Axle weights and distributions used on various loops of the
AASHO Road Test (redrawn from Highway Research Board, 1961).
 PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENTS

The following measurements of performance were collected:

 Roughness and visual distress (both HMA and PCC)

 Deflections, strains, etc.
 Pavement Serviceability Index (PSI)

 HMA PAVEMENT MATERIALS

The primary materials used in the HMA pavement sections will be briefly described below. This
kind of information is helpful in comparing a particular project’s set of materials to those used
at the Road Test.

 HMA

The HMA mixes used at the Road Test used:

 Crushed limestone coarse aggregate

 Mineral filler which was limestone dust
 Penetration grade asphalt cement (85-100 pen)
 Natural siliceous coarse sand

The gradation requirements for the surface and binder courses are given in Table 2.

Table 2: AASHO Road Test HMA Gradation Requirements

Sieve Surface Course Gradation Binder Course Gradation

Limits Limits
1 in. – 100
3/4 in. 100 88-100
1/2 in. 86-100 55-86
3/8 in. 70-90 45-72
No. 4 45-70 31-50
No. 10 30-52 19-35
No. 20 22-40 12-26
No. 40 16-30 7-20
No. 80 9-19 4-12
No. 200 3-7 0-6
For the HMA surfaced test sections (in Loops 3-6), the surface course was 1.5 inches thick.  The
HMA mixes were designed by the Marshall method using 50 blows per face.   The typical
field asphalt contents were about 5.4 and 4.4 percent by weight of total mix for the surface and
binder courses, respectively.  The field air voids averaged 7.7 percent for the six test loops.

 BASE COURSE

The base course material was a crushed dolomitic limestone that conformed to the gradation
range shown in Table 3.

Table 3: AASHO Road Test Base Course Gradation Requirements

Sieve Specification Range Percent Actual Mean Percent Passing

Passing
1-1/2 in. 010 100
1 in. 80-100 90
3/4 in. 70-90 81
1/2 in. 60-80 68
No. 4 40-60 48
No. 10 28-46 35
No. 40 16-33 20
No. 100 7-20 13.5
No. 200 3-12 10

It is significant to note that 10 percent passed the 0.075 mm (No. 200 sieve).  Thus,
the base was likely a bit frost susceptible.  The CBR of the base material averaged 107.7
percent based on laboratory tests; however, the test results ranged from a low of 52 percent to
a high of 160 percent (total of 11 tests).  The minimum specified CBR was 75 percent.  Typical
in-place mean dry densities were about 2242 to 2275 kg/m3 (140 to 142 lb/ft3 ), with mean
moisture contents ranging from 5.6 to 6.1 percent.

 SUBBASE COURSE

The subbase material was a sand-gravel mixture which conformed to the following gradation
range shown in Table 4.
Table 4: AASHO Road Test Subbase Course Gradation Requirements

Sieve Specification Range Percent Actual Mean Percent Passing

Passing
1-1/2 in. 100 100
1 in. 95-100 100
3/4 in. 90-100 96
1/2 in. 80-100 90
No. 4 55-100 71
No. 10 40-80 52
No. 40 10-30 25
No. 200 5-9 6.5