Gradation Segregation Analysis of Warm

Mix Asphalt Mixture

Xuelian Li 1; Siyu Chen 2; Kuiyuan Xiong 3; and Xueying Liu 4
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Abstract: In this study, properties of warm mix asphalt (WMA) compacted with various levels of gradation segregation were evaluated in the
laboratory. Six segregated gradations were designed to compare with the control gradation and test sections were paved with the control
gradation. Then pavement quality indicator (PQI) and field coring were used to evaluate the uniformity of the WMA test sections with the
statistical method. In addition, sieve analysis of the cores was conducted to evaluate the level of segregation. The test results show that
gradation segregation has a remarkable effect on water stability, high-temperature stability, low-temperature cracking, and tensile strength
of WMA mixtures. Statistical analysis results show that the levels of segregation in localized areas are quite typical because the air void
contents follow a normal distribution and the mixtures along the central line are denser than other areas. Sieve analyses of the cores show that
most places of the typical segregated localized areas in the test sections have no segregation or low-level segregation, so the construction
quality is good. It also shows that the air void content increases as the gradation gets coarser, which is consistent with laboratory test results.
DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0002208. © 2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Author keywords: Warm mix asphalt; Gradation segregation; Property; Pavement quality indicator.

Introduction pavement (Stroup Gardiner and Brown 2000). Numerous studies

Background
There are two different types of segregation in hot mix asphalt
(HMA) pavement: temperature segregation and gradation segrega-
tion. Temperature segregation refers to different mixture cooling
areas during construction. Gradation segregation, namely, aggre-
gate segregation, is a nonuniform distribution of coarse and fine
aggregates during HMA production, hauling, or placement opera-
tions. Coarse aggregate–rich localized areas typically have higher
air void content and lower asphalt content, which can result in
moisture damage (including fatigue cracking, potholes, and ravel-
ing) and durability-related premature pavement failure. Conversely,
fine aggregate–rich localized areas always have lower air void con-
tent and higher asphalt content; these conditions lead to rutting and
flushing (Cross and Brown 1993; Williams et al. 1996).
Gradation segregation is a reoccurring problem for HMA
throughout the world. It is said that the American agency cost
for segregation is up to 50% of the original cost of the asphalt
1
Associate Professor, State Engineering Laboratory of Highway
Maintenance Technology, Changsha Univ. of Science and Technology,
960, 2nd Section, Wanjiali South Rd., Changsha 410114, China (corre-
sponding author). ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6644-2088. E-mail:
lixuelian@csust.edu.cn; lixuelianfj@gmail.com
2
Ph.D. Student, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Michigan
Technological Univ., 1400 Townsend Dr., Houghton, MI 49931-1295.
E-mail: siychen@mtu.edu
3
Engineer, School of Traffic and Transportation Engineering, Changsha
Univ. of Science and Technology, 960, 2nd Section, Wanjiali South Rd.,
Changsha 410004, China. E-mail: 644789962@qq.com
4
Master Student, School of Traffic and Transportation Engineering,
Changsha Univ. of Science and Technology, 960, 2nd Section, Wanjiali
South Rd., Changsha 410004, China. E-mail: 1102858140@qq.com
Note. This manuscript was submitted on April 20, 2017; approved on
September 19, 2017; published online on January 17, 2018. Discussion
period open until June 17, 2018; separate discussions must be submitted
for individual papers. This paper is part of the Journal of Materials in Civil
Engineering, © ASCE, ISSN 0899-1561.
have been conducted to detect and measure it. Procedures for de-
fining, detecting, and measuring segregation have been developed,
and the effects of segregation on HMA pavement performance were
also evaluated by the National Cooperative Highway Research
Program (NCHRP) (Stroup Gardiner and Brown 2000). Gradation
segregation resulted from variance in construction temperature, air
voids distribution, low-temperature performance, and surface tex-
tures. It also affects mixture cooling during construction in turn.
These temperature differences would then be a measure for the
level of segregation. The distribution of air voids in asphalt mixture
specimens was analyzed to evaluate its effect on the workability of
asphalt mixtures (Assaad et al. 2000). The effect of aggregate gra-
dation on low-temperature performance was analyzed by 11 differ-
ent aggregate gradations with the same asphalt binder content (Sun
et al. 2017). Moreover, laser surface texture measurements (de
León Izeppi 2006), digital image processing, and a statistical
method (Azari 2005; Peng and Sun 2011) were also used to evalu-
ate gradation segregation both in the laboratory and field. The re-
lated model and standard to evaluate the gradation segregation of
HMA was present by using the angle of repose (Tang et al. 2010).
However, limited investigations are available to evaluate the effect
of gradation segregation on the pavement performance of warm
mix asphalt (WMA).
Objective
The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of gradation
segregation on WMA. In order to achieve it, both laboratory tests
and field evaluations were carried out. The performance of WMA
compacted with seven various gradations was evaluated in the
laboratory: one was the control gradation, and the other six were
segregated gradations. Pavement quality indicators (PQIs) were
used to evaluate the uniformity of the asphalt pavement test sec-
tions. In addition, asphalt pavement was cored to validate those
PQI data. The scope of this study was limited to Sasobit WMA
with AC-20 mix, which was detected by conventional laboratory
and field procedures used in China.

© ASCE 04018027-1 J. Mater. Civ. Eng.

J. Mater. Civ. Eng., 2018, 30(4): 04018027

 Table 1. Basic Properties of Sasobit Experimental Program
Item Value
Appearance Faint yellow granules Mix Design
Density at 25°C (g=cm3 ) 0.9
Melting point (°C) 115 Gradations
Flash point (°C) 285
The gradation deviates from the control gradation when it is seg-
Solubility Water-immiscible
regated. The area between the segregated gradation and the control
indicates the level of segregation. A larger area specifies a higher
level of segregation. The S value indirectly reflects the area be-
Materials tween these two gradations, as shown in Eq. (1)
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WMA Additive sffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi

X n

Sasobit, a product of Sasol Wax (Free State, South Africa), is white
granules that have longer chemical chains. The longer chains, keep-
ing the wax in solution, decrease the viscosity of the asphalt and
compaction temperature of the WMA mixture. The melting temper-
ature of Sasobit used in this study is 115°C. In view of past studies,
the optimum additive content was 3% of the binder mass (Li et al.
2016). The basic properties of Sasobit are shown in Table 1.
Asphalt
The base styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS)–modified asphalt that was
used was provided by a company in Guangxi Guochuang Road
Material limited company (Nanning, Guangxi Province, China).
The needle penetration test, ductility test, softening point test, and
other tests were conducted to detect the basic performance of the
asphalt in accordance with the standard test methods used in China
[JTG E20-2011 (Ministry of Transport of China 2011)]. Related test
results are shown in Table 2. They are all in the range of the speci-
fication limits, which means that the asphalt is acceptable.
Aggregates
Coarse aggregates, fine aggregates, and filler used in this study
were all limestone from Jingxi Aggregate Limited Company
(Jingxi, China). The water absorption and different densities of ag-
gregates are shown in Table 3.
S¼ ðPij − Paj Þ2 ð1Þ
i¼1
where n = different sieve size levels; and Pij and Paj = passing
percentages of the segregated gradation and the control, respec-
tively. The level of segregation can be divided into four levels:
no segregation, and low-level, medium-level, and high-level segre-
gation. The corresponding limits of S values were less than 10%,
10–20%, 20–35%, and greater than 35% (Li and Ma 2007), respec-
tively. Seven different segregated gradations, as shown in Fig. 1,
were designed in this study: high-level segregation of coarse aggre-
gate (HC), medium-level segregation of coarse aggregate (MC),
low-level segregation of coarse aggregate (LC), control, high-level
segregation of fine aggregate (HF), medium-level segregation of
fine aggregate (MF), and low-level segregation of fine aggregate
(LF). The related S values are 43.5, 28.3, 15.0, 0, 39.0, 23.3,
and 10.3%, respectively.
Optimum Asphalt Content
The optimum asphalt binder content of the mixture was 4.2%,
which was selected based on the results of the air void content,
density, stability, and flow of Marshall samples using the Marshall
mix design methodology in accordance with JTG F40-2004
(Ministry of Transport of China 2004). The physical indexes of
control AC-20 are presented in Table 4. The asphalt content of
other segregated AC-20 mixtures was calculated by the principle

Table 2. Properties of the SBS-Modified Asphalt

Sample Test Standard method Values Specification limits
Unaged samples Density T0603-2011 1.037 —
Penetration at 25°C (0.1 mm) T0604-2011 56 40–60
Ductility at 25°C (5 cm=min; cm) T0605-2011 104.1 ≥20
Softening point (°C) T0606-2011 78.1 ≥60
Flash point (°C) T0611-2011 319 ≥230
Viscosity at 135°C (Pa · s) T0619-2011 2.99 ≤3
Rolling thin-film Retained quality (%) T0610-2011 0.1 −1 to +1
oven aged samples Retained penetration at 25°C (%) T0604-2011 88 ≥65
Retained ductility at 5°C (cm) T0605-2011 63.55 ≥15

Table 3. Water Absorption Rate and Density of the Aggregates

Aggregate Size Water absorption (%) Apparent specific gravity (g=cm3 ) Bulk specific gravity (g=cm3 )
Coarse aggregate 9.5–19 mm 0.30 2.723 2.701
4.75–9.5 mm 0.37 2.725 2.698
2.36–4.75 mm 0.47 2.720 2.686
Specification limits ≤3.0 ≥2.5 —
Fine aggregate 0–2.36 mm — 2.673 —
Specification limits — ≥2.5 —
Filler <0.075 mm — 2.695 —
Specification limits — ≥2.5 —

© ASCE 04018027-2 J. Mater. Civ. Eng.

J. Mater. Civ. Eng., 2018, 30(4): 04018027

 100

90 HC
MC
80 LC
Control

Passing percentage (%)

70
LF
MF
60
HF
50
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40

30

20

10

0
0

0. 5
15

18

36

75

.2

16

19

.5
0.

0.

9.
07

13

26
1.

2.

4.
0.

Sieve size (mm)

Fig. 1. Gradations of aggregate blends

Table 4. Physical Indexes of Design Asphalt Mixture AC-20 Gradation Segregation in the Field
Index Value Specification limits Test sections were paved in a tunnel of the Jingxi-Napo segment on
Asphalt content (%) 4.2 — one of the Guangxi expressways in South China. Twenty-nine typ-
Theoretical maximum specific 2.542 — ical segregated localized areas in the field were evaluated with PQI
gravity (g=cm3 ) and field coring by the statistical method. Sieve analyses of the
Bulk specific gravity (g=cm3 ) 2.454 — burned core samples were also carried out.
Air void content (%) 3.5 3–6
Voids filled with asphalt (VFA) (%) 72.0 65–75
Voids in mineral aggregate (VMA) (%) 12.52 ≥12.5
Results
Stability (kN) 16.13 ≥8.0
Flow (mm) 3.6 1.5–4
Water Stability
Moisture susceptibility is one of the major forms of premature
of equal thickness of the asphalt membrane; the results are shown failure in asphalt pavements. Therefore, the tensile strength ratio
in Table 5. (TSR) using the freeze-thaw split tensile test was measured. The
volumetric properties and the TSR of samples are presented in
Table 6.
Effect of Gradation Segregation on Mix Properties In Table 6, the mixes with upper (finer) gradation display better
Six segregated gradations, AC-20, were designed to compare to the water stability than the lower (coarser) gradation. The TSRs of HC
control gradation. Water stability, high-temperature stability, low- and MC are 65.5 and 71.6%, respectively, while the specification
temperature cracking, and indirect tensile strength (ITS) of these limit is 75%. As a result, they are both out of the range of JTG
seven gradations were tested in this study according to the standard F40-2004 (Ministry of Transport of China 2004). However, TSRs
test methods of asphalt mixtures used in China [JTG E20-2011 increase as the gradation gets finer: the TSRs of LF, MF, and HF are
(Code of China 2011)]. 93.4, 95.1, and 95.9%, respectively. It also can be seen from
Tables 5 and 6 that the air void content increases but asphalt content
decreases as the gradation gets coarser. The adhesive bond strength
between the aggregate and asphalt decreases at the same time.
Table 5. Specific Surface Areas and Optimum Asphalt Content of Various
Therefore, coarser aggregate segregation is prone to moisture dam-
Asphalt Mixtures
age due to a high air void content and low asphalt content.
Gradation Specific surface area (g=cm3 ) Asphalt content (%)
HC 1.57 1.6
High-Temperature Stability
MC 2.44 2.5
LC 3.21 3.3 The rutting tests at 60°C were performed to detect the high-
Control 4.03 4.2 temperature stability, or rutting resistance, of the mixtures; the re-
LF 4.58 4.8 sults of dynamic stability are shown in Fig. 2.
MF 5.39 5.7 As can be observed from Fig. 3, the differences between HF and
HF 6.28 6.7
HC are very obvious. The gradation segregation has a significant

© ASCE 04018027-3 J. Mater. Civ. Eng.

J. Mater. Civ. Eng., 2018, 30(4): 04018027

 Table 6. Volumetric Parameters and Freeze-Thaw Splitting Index
Splitting
strength (MPa)
Air void Bulk specific Voids in mineral Voids filled with
Gradation content (%) gravity (g=cm3 ) aggregate (VMA) (%) asphalt (VFA) (%) Wet Dry TSR (%)
HC 9.6 2.319 18.1 46.7 0.38 0.58 65.5
MC 8 2.363 16.5 51.5 0.53 0.74 71.6
LC 6.1 2.41 14.8 58.8 0.75 0.92 81.5
Control 4.5 2.447 13.4 66.4 1.06 1.16 91.4
LF 2.6 2.494 12 75.8 0.99 1.06 93.4
MF 2.2 2.505 11.2 89.5 0.97 1.02 95.1
HF 1.8 2.519 10.9 83.5 0.94 0.98 95.9
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8000 Table 7. Low-Temperature Bending Test Results

7232.1
7000 Flexural Flexural Stiffness
6354.7
6012.3 Gradation strength (MPa) strain (με) modulus (MPa)
Dynamic statbility (times/mm)

6000
5223.4 MC 4.01 1,980 2,025
5000 LC 7.94 3,210 2,474
4321.5
Control 9.88 3,767 2,622
4000 LF 11.79 4,632 2,545
MF 12.84 5,320 2,414
3000
2404.6 HF 12.53 6,120 2,047
2000

1000 778.7
778.7
2.5
0
HC MC LC Control LF MF HF 2.02
2
Fig. 2. Dynamic stability of various gradations 1.81
1.66 1.66

1.5 1.35
ITS (MPa)

1.14
1 0.86

0.5

0
HC MC LC Control LF MF HF

Fig. 4. Indirect tensile strength

Fig. 3. Gradation segregation: (a) HF; (b) HC
effect on the dynamic stability, especially for finer aggregate
segregation, as shown in Fig. 2. The dynamic stabilities of fine-
aggregate segregation are lower than that of the control. The dy-
namic stability decreases as the gradation gets finer. The dynamic
stability of HF is 778.7 cycles=mm, which is far less than the
specification limits. This means fine-aggregate segregation is ad-
versely affected by the high-temperature stability and is more sus-
ceptible to rutting. However, the dynamic stabilities of MC and LC
are both greater than that of the control because the stone-skeleton
structures of MC and LC are enhanced significantly with coarser
aggregates. But the dynamic stability of HC decreases suddenly
because the asphalt content decreases with the increase in
coarse-aggregate content, which would result in a decrease in
the adhesive bond strength. The mixture would be very difficult
to compact.
Low-Temperature Cracking
Low-temperature cracking is a common problem in asphalt pave-
ment both in cold and hot areas. This kind of cracking can be ini-
tiated by low temperatures alone or by multiple cycles of warming
and cooling. The low-temperature cracking performance of the
mixtures were evaluated by the low-temperature bending tests;
the results are shown in Table 7. The effect of gradation segregation
on the low-temperature cracking is obvious. Flexural strength or
strain of finer gradation is higher than that of coarser gradation,
as shown in Table 7. This indicates that mixes with finer gradation
perform better in terms of low-temperature cracking resistance than
the coarser gradation.
Indirect Tensile Strength
Splitting tests were performed according to standards for ITS. The
ITS values of mixtures are shown in Fig. 4. From Fig. 4, ITS values
change obviously with the gradation. That is, low-temperature
cracking is affected significantly by gradation segregation. The
maximum ITS value is the ITS value of the control gradation.

© ASCE 04018027-4 J. Mater. Civ. Eng.

J. Mater. Civ. Eng., 2018, 30(4): 04018027

 Whether the gradation get finer or coarser, the ITS value obviously
decreases.
Summary of Testing Results
The volumetric parameters show that the air void content increases
but asphalt content decreases as the gradation gets coarser. The ad-
hesive bond strength between the aggregate and asphalt decreases at
the same time. Therefore, the water stability tests show that coarser
aggregate segregation is prone to moisture damage due to a high air
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South China. The AC-20 WMA mixture, the control gradation in
the laboratory, was used as the middle layer of the asphalt pavement
structure. Twenty-nine typical segregated localized areas in the
field were evaluated with PQI and field coring, as shown in Table 8.
The relationship of air void content detected by coring
(Core_AV) and air void content detected by PQI (PQI_AV) in
Table 8 was investigated by the Pearson correlation coefficient.
The Pearson correlation coefficient between Core_AV and PQI_AV
was 0.98904, indicating a positive linear correlation. Therefore,
only PQI_AV was analyzed to investigate the distribution of air
voids.

void content and low asphalt content. The wheel tracking tests
present that fine-aggregate segregation is adversely affected by
the high-temperature stability and is more susceptible to rutting. As-
phalt content with coarse-aggregate segregation is decreased, result-
ing in a decrease of the adhesive bond strength, causing the coarser
mixture to be very difficult to compact. The mixes with finer
gradation show better resistance to low-temperature cracking than
the coarser gradation. However, the indirect tensile strength tests in-
dicate that asphalt pavement with control gradation is the best.
Therefore, the test sections were paved with the control gradation.
Field Test
The Q-Q plot is a graphical technique used to assess if a set of
data plausibly came from a normal or exponential distribution
(Peng 2004). In this study, the PQI_AV, shown in Table 8, was an-
alyzed by a Q-Q plot, as presented in Fig. 5.
From Fig. 5, it can be seen that PQI_AV is almost on the diago-
nal, indicating that PQI_AV follows a normal distribution. Addi-
tionally, these segregated localized areas are obviously observed
to be different. Air void contents at 14 locations are 3–6%, which
is in the range of the Chinese specification [JTG F40-2004 (Code of
China 2004)]. Air void contents at three locations are less than 3%.
Air void contents at 12 locations are more than 6%. As a result, the
levels of segregation in these localized areas are quite typical.

Field Detections Air Void Content Detected by PQI

The test sections, 8.5 m wide and 4,705 m total length, are located The box plot is a convenient method to depict different groups of
in the Jingxi-Napo segment on one of the Guangxi expressways in data by quartiles. In pavement engineering, a box plot was adopted

Table 8. Density of the Core and PQI

Core PQIa
Weight in Weight in Saturated surface-dry Density Air void Air void Density
Core Location air (g) water (g) weight (g) (g=cm3 ) content (%) content (%) (g=cm3 )
1 K52 þ 409 (L1) 1,287.7 745.6 1,288.5 2.372 7.6 7.3 2.379
2 K52 þ 411 (R3) 1,215.6 723.1 1,216.2 2.465 3.7 3.8 2.468
3 K52 þ 434 (R3) 970.3 574.2 971.0 2.445 4.7 4.5 2.451
4 K52 þ 435 (L1) 867.7 500.4 868.8 2.353 8.4 8.1 2.358
5 K52 þ 440 (C) 1,214.5 731.6 1,214.7 2.514 2.1 2.0 2.515
6 K52 þ 460 (L2) 1,345.1 800.3 1,346.6 2.461 4.1 3.9 2.466
7 K52 þ 760 (R2) 936.4 550.3 938.4 2.413 6.0 5.4 2.427
8 K52 þ 591 (R2) 1,281.9 758.8 1,282.6 2.447 4.6 4.5 2.451
9 K52 þ 591 (R2) 1,311.5 767.1 1,312.3 2.405 6.2 6.6 2.397
10 K52 þ 619 (L1) 1,469.7 845.1 1,472.2 2.344 8.6 8.3 2.353
11 K52 þ 620 (C) 1,235.6 742.1 1,237.2 2.496 2.5 2.3 2.507
12 K52 þ 621 (R2) 786.5 459.5 787.1 2.401 6.4 6.7 2.394
13 K52 þ 799 (L2) 1,167.6 678.2 1,167.7 2.385 6.8 6.3 2.404
14 K52 þ 810 (L3) 1,004.3 603.5 1,006.6 2.491 2.9 2.9 2.492
15 K52 þ 820 (L2) 1,056.7 623.4 1,058.6 2.426 5.3 5.0 2.438
16 K53 þ 910 (L2) 1,134.5 670.3 1,135.5 2.439 4.9 4.7 2.445
17 K53 þ 909 (R3) 1,023.7 598.6 1,024.2 2.402 6.4 6.5 2.399
18 K54 þ 021 (L3) 1,034.6 612.5 1,035.6 2.445 4.5 4.7 2.445
19 K54 þ 021 (C) 998.4 600.2 999.8 2.498 2.5 2.7 2.497
20 K54 þ 021 (R2) 1,213.5 716.7 1,215.6 2.216 5.3 4.9 2.440
21 K54 þ 070 (L2) 1,256.7 737.8 1,261.5 2.400 6.4 6.3 2.404
22 K54 þ 081 (L2) 1,414.4 832.6 1,417.3 2.417 5.7 5.7 2.420
23 K54 þ 100 (L1) 1,005.5 580.4 1,007.4 2.381 7.4 6.9 2.389
24 K54 þ 100 (R2) 1,025.1 604.6 1,025.8 2.434 5.1 4.4 2.453
25 K54 þ 200 (L2) 1,066.7 627.4 1,067.3 2.423 5.7 5.6 2.422
26 K54 þ 620 (C) 1,123.6 678.1 1,124.0 2.520 1.8 2.0 2.515
27 K54 þ 221 (L1) 1,314.3 750.4 1,315.1 2.325 9.2 9.4 2.325
28 K54 þ 250 (L3) 1,215.6 723.1 1,216.2 2.465 3.7 3.9 2.466
29 K54 þ 280 (L3) 1,199.3 710.8 1,201.3 2.445 4.5 4 2.463
Note: C = central line; L1, L2, and L3 = transverse distance from the edge of the left paving edge line, which are 1, 2, and 3 m, respectively; R1, R2, and
R3 = transverse distances from the right paving edge line, which are 1, 2, and 3 m, respectively.
a
PQI density and air void content were detected before coring at the same place (data from Xiong 2015).

© ASCE 04018027-5 J. Mater. Civ. Eng.

J. Mater. Civ. Eng., 2018, 30(4): 04018027

 25

20

15

S (%)
10

5
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0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
Core ID
Fig. 5. Q-Q plot of PQI_AV
Fig. 7. Segregation level of field cores (data from Xiong 2015)

Low Air Void Content

100
90

Passing Percentage (%)

80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0 5 10 15 20
Sieve Size (mm)

CTL Core5 Core11 Core19 Core26

Fig. 8. Sieve analysis of the low air void content samples

High Air Void Content

100
Fig. 6. Box plot for PQI_AV along the cross section 90
(%)

80
70
i Percentage

60
t

to investigate the angularity index value and noise of the pavement 50

surface (Chen et al. 2016; Lu et al. 2011). In this study, the box plot 40
Passing

was used to analyze the PQI_AV with different transverse distan- 30

20
ces, as shown in Fig. 6.
10
As presented in Fig. 6, PQI_AV shows different variations 0
at different locations, and Location C has the least variation. 0 5 10 15 20
2
Location C also has the minimum PQI_AV, followed by Location ve Size (mm)
Siev

L3, Location R3, Location L2, Location R2, and Location L1. CTL Core1 Core4 Core10 Core23 Core27
Therefore, PQI_AV becomes smaller as the detection location gets
Fig. 9. Sieve analysis of the high air void content samples
closer to the central line. This means the mixtures along the central
line are denser than the other places.

segregation or low-level segregation, and few areas have medium-

Sieve Analysis of the Cores
Core samples were burned in the ignition oven. Then sieve analyses
of the burned core samples were carried out; the results are pre-
sented in Figs. 7–9.
In Fig. 7, the S value, calculated by Eq. (1), indirectly reflects
the area between segregated gradation and the control. There are 18
S values less than 10%, 10 S values between 10 and 20%, and only
one S value between 20 and 35%. That is, most places of the 29
typical segregated localized areas in the test sections have no
level or high-level segregation. This indicates the construction
quality is good.
In Figs. 8 and 9, the cores with a low air void content have a
greater passing percentage of aggregates compared with the control
gradation (CTL), which means they are denser than the control gra-
dation. The cores with a high air void content have a lower passing
percent of aggregates compared with the CTL; therefore, there are
more air void contents. These results are consistent with the volu-
metric parameters in Table 6, for the air void content increases as

© ASCE 04018027-6 J. Mater. Civ. Eng.

J. Mater. Civ. Eng., 2018, 30(4): 04018027

 the gradation gets coarser, which is similar to the results of other
researchers (Cross and Brown 1993).
Conclusions
Based on the results from the laboratory and field experiments, the
following conclusions were drawn:
• The volumetric parameters show that coarser aggregate segre-
gation is prone to moisture damage due to a high air void con-
tent and low asphalt content.
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• The rutting tests indicate that fine-aggregate segregation is ad-
versely affected by the high-temperature stability and is more
susceptible to rutting. Asphalt content with coarse-aggregate
segregation is decreased, which would result in a decrease in
the adhesive bond strength.
• The mixes with finer gradation show better resistance in low-
temperature cracking than the coarser gradation. However,
the indirect tensile strength tests indicate that asphalt pavement
with control gradation is the best.
• Statistical analyses show that the level of segregation in loca-
lized field detection areas is quite typical because the air void
content follows a normal distribution. The mixtures along the
central line are denser than the other places.
• Sieve analyses show that most places of the 29 typical
segregated localized areas in the test sections have no segrega-
tion or low-level segregation, so the construction quality is
good.
• Sieve analysis results of the cores are consistent with laboratory
test results. That is, the cores with a low air void content have a
greater passing percentage of aggregates compared with control
gradation, which means they are denser than the control grada-
tion, and vice versa.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the National Natural Science
Foundation of China (Grant No. 51308075), Department of
Transport of Hainan Province (Number JT20160898009), Foun-
dation of Hunan Educational Committee (Number 15C0044),
and Open Fund of State Engineering Laboratory of High-
way Maintenance Technology (Changsha University of Science
and Technology) (Grant Nos. kfj160101 and kfj140104). The
financial support to Siyu Chen from the China Scholarship
Council and Michigan Technological University is also gratefully
appreciated.
© ASCE 04018027-7
J. Mater. Civ. Eng., 2018, 30(4): 04018027
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