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Asphalt Mixture Design

Asphalt
Mixing and Batching

 Drying of aggregates
◦ 110 ˚C
 Temperatures for heating and mixing
bitumen
◦ 140 ˚C to 180 ˚C

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PREPARATION

Storage:
Stockpiles:
Stockpiles clean, stable, separate from
neighbours
Filler:
Filler separate storage silos

Bitumen: heated and insulated tank

Bitumen
Cement:
Cement silos (as filler)

Stockpiling: Preferred Practice

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Stockpiling on Site

Asphalt Production
Mixing and Batching

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Asphalt Production

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CONTROL
Importance of bitumen control in asphalt:
Volume
Cracking

Deformation
Optimum

Bitumen content

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CONTROL
Importance of water control in concrete:
Strength

Optimum
Hydration Water left in mix
incomplete

Water content

Marshall Design Method

 Developed by Bruce Marshall, formally Bituminous

Engineer
g with the Mississippi
pp State Highway
g y
Department.
 US Corps of Engineers modified the procedure
and developed criteria.
 Intended for the laboratory design of hot-mix
bituminous paving mixtures.
 Standard procedure applies to mixtures with
penetration or viscosity graded bitumens and
maximum aggregate sizes of 25mm or less.

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Marshall Design Method

 Types of Bitumen Grading

◦ Consult Class Notes (PG,Viscosity and Penetration
Grading)

 Types of Mix Design Techniques

◦ Consult Class Notes (Marshall and Superpave Mix
Designs)

Marshall Design Method

 Step 1 - Choose a suitable aggregate grading

(dense)

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GRADATIONS

0.5
d
Fuller equation p = 100 x
D

p = total percentage passing a given sieve

d = size of sieve opening
D = largest size (sieve opening) in the gradation

• Curves generally workable

• Low void contents

GRADATIONS
Modified (100 - F)(dn - 0.075n)
Fuller p= +F
(Dn - 0.075n)
equation
p = percentage passing a sieve of size d mm
D = maximum aggregate size in mm
F = filler content (passing the 75 m sieve)
n = an exponentt b
between
t 0 and
d1

• Maintain filler material (passing 75 microns

sieve)

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Marshall Design Method

• Step 1 - Choose a suitable aggregate grading

(dense)
 Step 2 - Make up mixtures with 4-5 different
binder contents
 Step 3 - Make 3 cylindrical specimens at each
binder content using the Marshall hammer (Total
of 15 specimens per aggregate grading)

Marshall Design Method

7850 g

50 blows per face

with hammer

H = 63.5 mm

Diameter = 101.6 mm

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Marshall Design Method

 Step 4 - Determine bulk density, air voids

content and voids in mineral aggregate (VMA)
for different specimens
 Step 5 - Condition specimens for 1 hour at
60C in water
 Step 6 - Carry out Marshall test on specimen

Marshall Design Method

LOAD Marshall
Load
Stability

Marshall
Flow

DISPLACEMENT 2

Deformation
Displacement rate = 50 mm/min

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Marshall Design Method

 Step 4 - Determine bulk density, air voids

content and voids in mineral aggregate (VMA)
for different specimens
 Step 5 - Condition specimens for 1 hour at
60C in water
 Step 6 - Carry out Marshall test on specimen

• Step 7 - Plot results

Marshall Design Method

 Step 8 - Average binder content corresponding

to maximum density, maximum Stability and
required air voids content
 Step 9 - Check VMA and Marshall flows

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Marshall Design Method

3%

Density Air Voids

5.2% 4.6%

Marshall Check
Stability 4.8% VMA

Check
Flow

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Marshall Design Method

Alternative Plots

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Marshall Design Method

 Principle problems with the method:
• Specimens are not representative of the
mixture in the field
• Empirical test which cannot be related
fundamentally to mixture performance
• Misuse of criteria or inadequate criteria for
acceptance
• No criteria for large-stone (i.e., >25mm
mixtures

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