Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges

Roads and Highways Department
Bangladesh Road Research laboratory

Technical Note on:

ASPHALT MIX DESIGN FOR HEAVILY TRAFFICKED
ROADS

June 2017
 ASPHALT MIX DESIGN FOR HEAVILY TRAFFICKED ROADS

Asphalt paving mixes designed by the Marshall method have been failing prematurely on our roads. One of
the reasons for such failures is inadequate initial compaction. Densities achieved under 75 -blow Marshall
Compaction in the laboratory do not simulate the field densities of the mix after it has undergone
secondary compaction due to traffic. When air voids in the mix decrease to below 3 per cent during such
densification and as the viscosity of asphalt in the mix decreases sharply in summer; the mix permanently
deforms as a rut under the wheel loads.

Three factors contribute to good performance of an asphalt mix carrying heavy axle loads in hot climates.
They are adequate initial compaction so that secondary compaction under traffic is minimized, suf ficient
asphalt content for durability of the mix and enough air voids in the mix for its stability. All the three factors
are influenced by the VMA of the mix. A high VMA would permit the incorporation of higher asphalt content
while ensuring enough air voids under increased compaction. Aggregate shape and surface texture
influence the VMA to some extent but is largely influenced by the aggregate grading. Dense grading give
rise to low VMA and open grading to high VMA.

There is required for modification to the Marshall Design procedure we follow for the design of asphalt
mixes quality heavy traffic. The modification involves adjusting the aggregate grading to achieve higher
VMA values for creating more space to incorporate higher asphalt contents and checking the mixes for “ in
place density” for ensuring its stability under secondary compaction due to traffic.

REASONS FOR ASPHALT MIXES UNDER-PERFORM

If the mix design formulated in the design exercise is submitted for approval it would be accepted for
implementation since it satisfies the requirements of our specifications. But mixes having the same
Marshall characteristics as in the example have been found to have undergone premature permanent
deformation under our traffic loadings, particularly during the summer months for the following reason s
explain below.

In the Marshall procedure of MS-2, the laboratory compaction is intended to simulate the in-place density
after the mix has endured several years of traffic. At the time of developing the method, heavy traffic was
regarded something close to 1 MSA (one million standard axles) and a laboratory compaction of 75 blows
on the two faces of a Marshall specimen was discerned to achieve the corresponding den sity level. In the
high density traffic corridors of the country, loadings of that magnitude occur within a few months of
opening to traffic and the in-place densities increase beyond the laboratory densities with further
movement of traffic. As the density increases, air voids in the mix decreases. As the air voids decrease
below a certain limit (around 3 per cent) the asphalt film enveloping the aggregate particles tends to push
them apart, reducing the aggregate particle contact. This action becomes more and more predominant as
the pavement temperatures rise in summer and decrease the viscosity of asphalt. Because of the falling
viscosity of asphalt and the diminished aggregate particle contact, the mix loses its shear resistance and
deforms as a rut under the vehicle wheel with an accompanying heave on the sides. It may be realized that
the shear resistance of an asphalt mix is contributed jointly by the viscosity of asphalt and aggregate
internal friction. Picture.1 shows this kind of rutting observed on a newly constructed road within two
months of its construction. Picture.2 it also shows the cores of bituminous concrete wearing course taken
at three locations on a cross section of this deformed road. The three locations are (a) in the rut, (b) on the
accompanying heave and (c) at an un-rutted location on the same cross section. The as-laid thickness of
the binder course layer is 51 mm (un-rutted location) and this thickness has reduced to 38 mm in the rut
and increased to 86 mm in the heave. The disturbed aggregate structure could be observed in the cores.

That the probability of plastic deformation (rutting) of an asphalt mix is very high when the in -place air
voids fall below 3 per cent has been observed in several countries experiencing high pavement
temperatures. In several of our project roads, which have experienced such rutting, the in-place air voids
(determined from the cores taken from the site) have been observed to be lower than 3 per cent. These
observations emphasize the fact that the air voids level in the mix should remain above 3 per cent, if
plastic deformation is to be avoided. In fact, According to (MS-2) warns it has been shown that mixtures

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 ASPHALT MIX DESIGN FOR HEAVILY TRAFFICKED ROADS

that ultimately consolidate to less than three per cent air voids can be expected to rut and shove if placed
in heavy traffic locations.

Source: A Guide to the design of hot mix asphalt in tropical and sub-tropical countries

Resistance to premature rutting can however, be achieved if we reduce the asphalt content and design the
mix for an initial air void content closer to the upper limit. But such mixes harden quickly leading to top-
down cracking, a common phenomenon observed on our roads. Brittleness of asphalt, premature cracking,
raveling and stripping are the type’s picture of distresses that are associated with low asphalt content and
high air voids content in the mix.

In essence, the reasons for the poor performance of asphalt mixes in Bangladesh could be attributed to
one or more of the following characteristics of the mixes.

 Inadequate initial compaction making the mix vulnerable to high secondary compaction under
traffic.
 Relatively high asphalt contents that permit the reduction of air voids to less than 3 per cent under
secondary compaction, leading to rutting under heavy axle loads when pavement temperatures rise
in summer.
 Low asphalt contents and high air voids in the mix leading to top -down cracking, raveling and
stripping making the mix less durable.

Almost all RHD national and regional highways are heavily traffic and the mix design for the wearing
course and dense bituminous show asphalt pavement layers; with 75 Marshall Blow does not simulate
the traffic load on roads.

The modified Marshall method for mix design shall be introduced in the design. To overcome the
asphalt pavement rutting on heavily traffic road the BRRL has conducted series of trial tests with
modified Marshall Blow of 125, 130, 150,and 200 in place of75 Marshall Blow in mix design to prevent
rutting in the asphalt layers.

The grading of crushed stone aggregate material in RHD specification shall be changed i.e. higher
1
aggregate size shall be used for the Marshall Mix design . In BRRL there is no modified Marshall
Mould (150mm dia), so trials were done with the standard mould (100mm dia) only verifying the
number of blows. The trial tests of asphalt mix design with 125 blows satisfy all the technical criteria
of asphalt mix design. This Marshall Asphalt mix design (125 Blow Marshall) shows technically
acceptable to use in RHD for mix design instead of present conventional 75 Marshall Blows. This
Marshall Mix design with 125 Marshall blow i.e. good compaction in crushed stone material which will
significantly simulate the existing traffic load on road. Grading curve and mix-design table as shown
below.

The new stone aggregate grading chart and details modified mix design method is enclosed for used in
RHD for better structural and functional asphalt pavement performance.

As almost all national and regional highway corridors the traffic volume (EASL) is more than 10 million
(ESA). Thus the Marshall mix design with 75 blows are not technically valid and improved Marshall
mix design with 125, or 150, or 250 blow shall be used as it will provide good compaction of material
with the same crushed stone and 60/70 grade bitumen and the mix design will simulate the present
and future traffic on asphalt roads

1 th
According to Modified Marshall Method (MS-2, 6 Edition) aggregate nominal size up to 37.5mm are permitted.
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 ASPHALT MIX DESIGN FOR HEAVILY TRAFFICKED ROADS

Table:

Table 1(Parameters obtained after 125 blows/end, DBS-Base)

Values at 3.5 Values at Values at Values at Spec Lim MS-2

Parameter
%AC 4%AC 4.5%AC 5%AC (RHD) (Marshall

VMA 16 15.75 15.75 16.0 15 to 20% 13 to 14

Stability,
9.50 10.40 10.30 9.8 >5.394 ≥8 KN
KN

VFA, % 53 62 68.00 75.0 65 to 80 65 to 75

Va, % 7.5 6.00 5.00 4 3 to 5 3 to 5

Flow, mm 1.80 1.90 2.10 2.3 2 to 4 2 to 3.5

Page 4 of 6
Table 2(Different Limit lines in graphs)

Different limit lines

100
Adopted Gradation
Lower Control Point(AASHTO MP2)
90
Uper Control Point(AASHTO MP2)
Lower Restricted Zone(AASHTO MP2)
80
Upper Restricted Zone(AASHTO MP2)
RHD Spec. L.Limit
70
RHD Spec. U.Limit
Target Upper Limit Gradatiom
60
Target Lower limit gradation
% Passing

P= 0.45 Power Gradation(MS-4 7th Edition)

50

40

30

20

10
Sieve size,mm
0
0.01 0.1 1 10
Table 3(Different limits in table)

Lower Restricted Zone

Upper Restricted Zone

Different: Spe.UPL -
Gradation (MS-4, 7th

Lower Control Point

Upper Control Point

Adopted Gradation

Spec. Limit ( RHD)

Target Lower Limit

Spec. Limit( RHD)

Target Upper limit

Different between
target Upper and
(AASHTO MP-2)

(AASHTO MP-2)
(AASHTO MP-2

(AASHTO MP-2
Sieve Size, mm

P= 0.45 Power

Lower Limit
Edition)

LLM
25 100 100 100 100 100.0 100.0 0.0 0.0
100

20 96 90 100 90 100 95 98.0 3.0 10

90

12.5* 85 90 65 90 82.5 87.5 5.0 25

73

10 76 55 82 73.5 78.5 5.0 27

66

5 42 35 57 39.5 44.5 5.0 22

48

2.4 26 23 49 34.6 34.6 20 40 24.0 28.0 4.0 20

35

1.2 18 22.3 28.3 15 33 16.0 20.0 4.0 18

26

0.6 19 13 16.7 20.7 10 26 11.0 15.0 4.0 16

0.3 14 9.1 13.7 13.7 6 20 7.60 10.60 3.0 14

0.15 10 7 5 13 5.5 8.0 2.5 8

0.075 7 5 2 8 3 7 4.0 6.0 2.0 4

* 12.5 mm sieve is not in the RHD Specification. This is taken for showing the Control points in the graph