Morphology of Asphalt Mixture Rheological Master Curves

Guilian Zou1; Xiaoning Zhang2; Jian Xu3; and Fengxia Chi4

Abstract: Most asphalt mixture rheology studies were limited to condition tests and condition-evaluation indices, which cannot describe
the changes in mechanical properties along with changing external conditions. The full-temperature–full-frequency master curves of
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rheological functions for asphalt mixtures were obtained by dynamic shearing test and time-temperature-shift formulation. The
Christensen-Anderson-Marasteanu rheological model and morphology theory were combined to obtain the morphological characteristics
of the rheological master curves. These morphological parameters can better describe the pavement performances of asphalt mixtures.
DOI: 10.1061/共ASCE兲MT.1943-5533.0000024
CE Database subject headings: Asphalts; Mixtures; Morphology; Rheology; Temperature effects; Asphalt pavements.
Author keywords: Asphalt mixture; Morphology; Rheological master curve; Full-temperature-full frequency; Pavement performance.

Introduction
Many pavement distresses such as ruts, cracks, and fatigue fail-
ures are related to the rheological properties of asphalt binders
and mixtures. Many organizations, including the Asphalt Institute,
the Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials,
and Shell Petroleum Company, have developed pavement perfor-
mance indices and pavement design parameters 共AASHTO 1998;
Stuart and Mogawer 1997; Bouldin et al. 2000兲 to evaluate the
quality of the asphalt binders and mixtures and to predict pave-
ment design parameters and pavement performance. The strategic
highway research program 共SHRP兲 also conducted pavement per-
formance research using rheological characterization that resulted
in many achievements.
However, most rheological indices for asphalt mixtures, in-
cluding the rutting parameter Gⴱ / sin ␦ and the performance grad-
ing developed by SHRP, were obtained by using design
conditional tests carried out under the conditions of fixed tem-
perature or frequency. Test results using the Federal Highway
Administration accelerated loading facility 共ALF兲 indicated that
although the performance grades of neat asphalts are consistent
with the ALF results 共Witzak et al. 2002兲, the correlation between
the rutting resistance of modified asphalt mixtures and the asphalt
high-temperature performance grade is very weak 共Dongre et al.
1
Hwy Research Institute of South China Univ. of Technology, Wushan
Rd., Tianhe District, Guangzhou 510641, People’s Republic of China
共corresponding author兲. E-mail: glzhou@scut.edu.cn
2
Hwy Research Institute of South China Univ. of Technology, Wushan
Rd., Tianhe District, Guangzhou 510641, People’s Republic of China.
E-mail: proxnz@163.com
3
Research Institute of Hwy Ministry of Transport of the People’s Re-
public of China, No. 8 Xitucheng Rd., Beijing 100088, China. E-mail:
j.xu@rioh.cn
4
Zhejiang Scientific Research Institute of Communication, Hangzhou
Palaestra Rd., 379 Room, Hangzhou, China. E-mail: chifengxia@
126.com
Note. This manuscript was submitted on May 30, 2009; approved on
August 24, 2009; published online on February 6, 2010. Discussion pe-
riod open until January 1, 2011; separate discussions must be submitted
for individual papers. This paper is part of the Journal of Materials in
Civil Engineering, Vol. 22, No. 8, August 1, 2010. ©ASCE, ISSN 0899-
1561/2010/8-806–810/$25.00.
2004兲. Results from the NCHRP 9-10 project, using the repetitive
shear test at constant height, indicated that the correlation coeffi-
cient for the relationship between rate of mixture permanent dis-
tortion and Gⴱ / sin ␦ was only 0.23 共R2 = 0.23兲 共Bahia et al. 2001兲.
It is obvious that the conditional parameters are not suitable for
all kinds of asphalt binders and mixtures. By using continuous
dynamic frequency scanning to obtain full-temperature full-
frequency master curves and analyzing the morphological charac-
teristics of these master curves, the limitations of the conditional
parameters can be overcome.
Experimental Procedure
Rheological Measurements
Dynamic mechanical analysis 共DMA兲 using cyclic stress and
strain is a good method for studying the viscoelastic properties of
asphalt. Many rheological parameters such as complex modulus,
Gⴱ, storage modulus, G⬘, loss modulus, G⬙, and phase angle, ␦,
can be determined using DMA.
Continuous dynamic frequency scanning was conducted to ob-
tain the rheological properties using an advanced rheometer 共AR-
2000兲. This instrument can more precisely reflect continuous
changes in asphalt mixture properties with changes in temperature
and frequency than the single-point test method using the time-
temperature-shift factor. The latter technique is noncontinuous
and inaccurate.
A sine wave strain loading was selected because wheel loading
on the pavement has been shown to be a sine strain response. The
AR-2000 rheometer and sample loading scheme are shown in Fig.
1. The size of the sample used was 50⫻ 10⫻ 10 mm, with a
maximum error in measurement of 0.2 mm. The dynamic rheo-
logical measurements were made over the frequency range of
1.2⫻ 107 ~ 100 Hz. The theoretical temperature range was from
⫺180 to 600° C. In fact, the temperature range usually used is
from ⫺40 to 100° C, and the maximum error is 0.2° C for asphalt
binders and asphalt mixtures. The torque can be controlled from
0.1 to 200, 000 ␮N m. The axis strain response of the sample
was controlled to within 100 ␮m to ensure that it was within the
linear viscoelastic region.

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J. Mater. Civ. Eng. 2010.22:806-810.

 Fig. 1. Test principles and procedure
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Materials
In this study, two neat asphalt binders designated as A-70 and
A-90 were used, one an asphalt binder modified with styrene- Fig. 2. Three-dimensional distribution of Gⴱ
butadiene-styrene and one an epoxy asphalt 共ChemCo, produced
in United States兲. The properties of the two neat asphalt binders nient to study the rheological properties of a material in three
met the requirements of specification JTJ F40-2004 共Shen et al. dimensions of space. Based on the time-temperature superposi-
2004兲. The penetration, softening point, and viscosity were mea- tion principle, the three-dimensional master curve was converted
sured. The properties of these asphalts are shown in Table 1. into two dimensions to get a smooth rheological master curve,
Two types of asphalt and two mixture gradations were used in which covers a wide range of frequencies and temperatures. This
the study. The aggregate used was a granite gravel. The aggregate covers all of the engineering conditions from the high-
gradations are shown in Table 2. In this paper, the asphalt mixture temperature low frequency range to the low-temperature high fre-
referred to as AC-5 共A-70兲 means that the aggregate gradation is quency range. It is therefore called the full-temperature-full-
that shown with the AC-5 asphalt which is designated as A-70. frequency master curve.
The asphalt mixture referred to as AC-10 共ChemCo兲 means that The Williams-Landel-Ferry equations and the Arrhenius equa-
the aggregate gradation is that shown with the AC-10 and the tions are widely used to express the temperature-shift factor
asphalt is ChemCo and so on. 共Christensen and Anderson 1992; Marasteanu and Anderson
1996; Stroup-Gardiner 1996兲. However, they are applicable only
Dynamic Rheological Master Curve in Full-Frequency within curtain boundary conditions. In this study, the quadratic
and Full-Temperature Range equation proposed by Wang Duanyi was adapted to fit the time-
temperature shift for asphalt mixtures and was shown in Eq. 共1兲
The three-dimensional curve of the rheological function and the
rheological properties, including complex modulus, Gⴱ, storage log ␣T = k0 + k1T + k2T2 共1兲
modulus, G⬘, loss modulus, G⬙, and phase angle, ␦, were deter-
where T = temperature and k0 , k1 , k2 = material parameters.
mined from dynamic frequency scans using the AR-2000 dy-
Fig. 3 shows a group of two-dimensional complex modulus
namic shear rheometer. Fig. 2 shows a sample of the three-
master curves for the AC-5 共A-70兲 mixture in the temperature
dimensional curve for the complex modulus.
range from ⫺20 to 90° C. Fig. 4 shows two groups of two-
The data for the three-dimensional relationship between tem-
dimensional storage modules and loss modulus master curves for
perature, frequency, and rheological properties are limited to a
the AC-5 共A-70兲 mixture. There are two intersections between the
narrow frequency or temperature range, and it is also not conve-
full-frequency master curve of storage module and the full-
frequency master curve of loss module for each temperature. The
dominant part changed twice through the full-frequency zone. In
Table 1. Properties of Asphalt Binders
the middle frequency zone, the loss modulus master curve is
Properties Unit A-70 A-90 PMB above the storage module master curve, indicating that the vis-
Penetration 共25° C, 100 g, 5 s兲 0.1 mm 63 84 55 cous component is dominating in this zone. In the high and low
Penetration index / ⫺0.80 ⫺1.08 0.33
frequency zones, the loss modulus is much lower than the storage
modulus, indicating that the elastic component is dominant. This
TR&B °C 51.2 47.2 72.8
full-temperature-full-frequency master curve provides more com-
Ductility 共15° C, 5 cm/min兲 cm ⬎100 ⬎100 —
prehensive information for studying the rheological property as-
␩60°C Pa s 254 154 —
phalt mixtures than do conditional tests.
␩135°C Pa s 0.391 0.310 1.505

Table 2. Gradations of Aggregate

Sieves size 共mm兲
13.0 9.50 4.75 2.36 1.18 0.6 0.3 0.15 0.075
Types of asphalt mixture Percent passing 共%兲
AC-5 100 100 97.7 74.1 56.5 42.7 22.0 14.3 8.5
AC-10 100 97.5 65 48 34.5 25 17 11 6.5

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Fig. 3. Master curve group of Gⴱ in two-dimensional space
Morphological Characteristics of the Rheological
Master Curves
Many researchers have attempted to simulate the behavior of the
asphalt binder in an asphalt mixture. In this study, the
Christensen-Anderson-Marasteanu 共CAM兲 rheological model was
used. This mode was also used in the research reported in
NCHRP 9-10 as well as in many other studies 共Marasteanu and
Anderson 1999; Zeng et al. 2001; da Silva et al. 2004; Lenoble
and Nahas 1994兲. This model is composed of four equations for
the complex modulus master curve, phase-angle master curve,
temperature-shift factor, and strain-shift factor. The equation for
complex modulus is given by
r = log关2me/k/1 + 共2me/k − 1兲Gⴱe /Gⴱg兴
where Gⴱe = Gⴱ 共f → 0兲 = equilibrium complex modulus if Gⴱe = 0
for
binders and if Gⴱe ⬎ 0 for mixtures in shear; Gⴱg = G 共f → ⬁兲
ⴱ
= glass complex modulus; f c = location parameter with dimensions
of frequency; f ⬘c = reduced frequency, function of both temperature
and strain; and k and me = shape parameters, dimensionless.
Fig. 5 illustrates the complex modulus master curve for Eq.
共2兲. Gⴱg is the maximum asymptotic modulus in shear, represent-
ing the response at very high frequencies or very low tempera-
tures where the binder can contribute most to the modulus of the
mixture. Gⴱe is the equilibrium modulus, representing the mini-
mum modulus that a mixture can attain in shear at very low
Fig. 4. Master curve groups of G⬘ and G⬙ in two-dimensional space
808 / JOURNAL OF MATERIALS IN CIVIL ENGINEERING © ASCE / AUGUST 2010
J. Mater. Civ. Eng. 2010.22:806-810.
Fig. 5. Illustration of master curve for Gⴱ
frequencies or at very high temperatures. The third asymptote is
the one with a slope of me. The Gⴱg and me asymptotes intercept at
f c. The Gⴱe and me asymptotes intercept at f ⬘c
f ⬘c = f c共Gⴱe /Gⴱg兲1/me 共3兲
where f c and f ⬘c = important morphological parameters. f c is a lo-
cation parameter at which the mixture converges from the vis-
coelastic zone to elastic zone of master curve, indicating an
asphalt mixture with properties in the low-temperature region. f ⬘c
is a location parameter at which a mixture converges from the
viscoelastic zone to the viscous flow zone of the master curve,
共2兲 indicating the high-temperature properties of an asphalt mixture.
f t is a location parameter at which ␦m occurs.
The equation for the phase angle of the model is as follows:
␦ = 90I − 共90I − ␦m兲兵1 + 关log共f t/f ⬘兲/Rd兴2其−md/2 共4兲
where ␦m = phase-angle constant at f t, maximum value for asphalt
mixtures, and value at the inflexion for asphalt binders; f ⬘
= reduced frequency; f t = location parameter with dimensions of
frequency at which ␦m occurs; Rd, md = shape parameters; I = 0 if
f ⬎ f t for binders; I = 1 if f ⱕ f t for binders; and I = 0 if f ⬎ f t for
mixtures.
The equation for the phase angle of asphalt mixtures is as
follows:
␦ = ␦m兵1 + 关log共f t/f ⬘兲/Rd兴2其−md/2 共5兲
ⴱ
The distance 共one logarithmic decade being unity兲 between G 共f c兲
and Gⴱg for asphalt binders and mixtures is given by
r = log关2me/k/1 + 共2me/k − 1兲Gⴱe /Gⴱg兴 共6兲
The value r is an indicator of the width of the relaxation spec-
trum. It is determined by k and me. The higher the r value, the
more gradual the binder transitions from elastic behavior to vis-
cous behavior and the less sensitive it is to frequency changes.
The extreme viscoelastic ratio, n, is an indication of the vis-
coelastic range for mixtures. It is defined by
n = Gⴱg/Gⴱe 共7兲
The morphological parameters for the master curve of Gⴱ are
shown in Fig. 6.
Fig. 7 shows the complex modulus master curves for the neat
asphalt mixtures AC-5 共A-70兲 and AC-5 共A-90兲 at 20° C. The
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Fig. 8. Sketch of modality for AC-5 共SBS兲

Fig. 6. Morphological parameters of master curve for Gⴱ

main morphological parameters calculated by the CAM model
were presented in Table 3. It showed that the shapes of the two
complex modulus master curves were very similar and seemed
parallel. The r values of the two neat asphalt mixtures, which are
associated with the width of the relaxation spectrum, are similar.
Gⴱe and Gⴱg increase with the increase in asphalt penetration grade.
A comparison of morphological parameters between the AC-5
共A-70兲 mixture and the AC-5 共A-90兲 mixture shows that me is
0.75. The similar shapes of the master curves indicate that the
rheological behavior of the two neat asphalt mixtures is similar.
Fig. 7. Master curves of the two neat asphalt mixtures
Fig. 8 shows the complex modulus master curves for the neat
asphalt mixtures AC-5 共A-70兲 and the modified mixture AC-5
共SBS兲 at 20° C. The shapes of these two master curves are obvi-
ously different. The morphological parameter me of the modified
mixture is lower than me of the neat mixture. The complex modu-
lus master curve of AC-5 共SBS兲 extends outward and appears
stretched. The extension in landscape orientation indicates that
the effect of frequency and temperature on the asphalt mixture has
become weak, meaning the AC-5 共SBS兲 mixture is less suscep-
tible to temperature and time 共drive speed兲. Table 3 shows that the
maximum phase angle, ␦m, of the SBS modified asphalt mixture is
lower than the ␦m of the neat asphalt mixture, indicating that the
SBS modified asphalt mixture possesses more elasticity.
Fig. 9 shows the complex modulus master curves for the neat
asphalt mixture AC-5 共A-70兲 and the epoxy asphalt mixture
AC-10 共ChemCo兲 at 20° C. The shapes of these master curves are
obviously different. The shape of AC-10 共ChemCo兲 complex
modulus master curve is compressed vertically and extends hori-
zontally, indicating that the complex modulus is less sensitive to
temperature and time. The master curve of AC-10 共ChemCo兲 is
higher than that of AC-5 共A-70兲 through the full-frequency range.
The extreme viscoelastic ratio, n, of AC-10 共ChemCo兲 is about
4% of AC-5 共A-70兲, indicating that the viscoelastic range of the
AC-10 共ChemCo兲 is narrow. The Gⴱe value of AC-10 共ChemCo兲 is
32 times greater than that of AC-5 共A-70兲. The AC-10 共ChemCo兲
presents a much lower slope than AC-5 共A-70兲 in the middle
frequency range. The me of AC-1 共ChemCo兲 is much lower than
that of AC-5 共A-70兲. The maximum phase angle, ␦m, of AC-10
共ChemCo兲 is only 26.68°. This again shows that the temperature

Table 3. Important Morphological Parameters for the Asphalt Mixtures at 20° C

Types of asphalt mixtures Geⴱ 共MPa兲 Gⴱg 共MPa兲 f c 共Hz兲 f c⬘ 共Hz兲 f t 共Hz兲
AC-5 共A-70兲 2.50 5.50⫻ 10 3
6.85 2.39⫻ 10 −4
2.23⫻ 10−2
AC-5 共A-90兲 1.18 4.20⫻ 103 38.13 7.02⫻ 10−4 7.72⫻ 10−2
AC-5 共SBS兲 3.50 1.78⫻ 104 68.49 1.20⫻ 10−5 9.00⫻ 10−1
AC-10 共ChemCo兲 80 7.20⫻ 103 153.34 3.80⫻ 10−2 1.26⫻ 101
Types of asphalt mixtures ␦m 共angle兲 k me r n
AC-5 共A-70兲 53.00 0.25 0.75 0.90 2,200
AC-5 共A-90兲 56.45 0.24 0.75 0.94 3,559
AC-5 共SBS兲 38.20 0.13 0.55 1.32 5,086
AC-10 共ChemCo兲 26.68 0.35 0.35 0.9 90

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Fig. 9. Sketch map of modality for AC-10 共ChemCo兲
and time susceptibilities are obviously reduced. All of the param-
eters indicate that the epoxy asphalt mixture 共ChemCo兲 possesses
significant elastic behavior and good rutting resistance properties.
The results of the rutting resistance testing using the dynamic
stability test at 60° C for these asphalt mixtures are shown in
Table 4. These results show that the high-temperature perfor-
mance of the asphalt mixture is well correlated with the param-
eters of the rheological master curve. From Table 4, it can be seen
that the epoxy asphalt mixture 共ChemCo兲 possesses the best rut-
ting resistance potential, and the rutting resistance potential of the
modified mixture AC-5 共SBS兲 is better than that of the neat as-
phalt mixture. Gⴱe is the equilibrium modulus, representing the
minimum modulus that a mixture can exhibit in shear at very low
frequencies or at very high temperatures. me is the slop of the
master curve and me implies the temperature susceptibility and
time susceptibility. Gⴱe and me are irrelevant to test temperature
and frequency. If the mixture has higher Gⴱe and smaller me, this
implies that it possesses better rutting resistance.
Summary
In this paper, continuous dynamic frequency scanning was con-
ducted using a dynamic shear rheometer to obtain three-
dimensional master curves of the “temperature-frequency-
rheological parameters.” Then, two-dimensional master curves
called full-temperature-full-frequency master curves 共Chi 2007兲
were constructed using the time-temperature-shift principles. The
morphological characteristics of the rheological master curves
were analyzed by combining the CAM rheological model and
Table 4. Rutting Results of Asphalt Mixtures and Morphological Indexes
DS Geⴱ
Types of mixture 共times/mm兲 共MPa兲 me
AC-5 共A-70兲 946 2.50 0.75
AC-5 共SBS兲 1,604 3.50 0.55
AC-10 共ChemCo兲 19,008 80 0.35
810 / JOURNAL OF MATERIALS IN CIVIL ENGINEERING © ASCE / AUGUST 2010
J. Mater. Civ. Eng. 2010.22:806-810.
morphology theory. The pavement performances of asphalt mix-
tures can be described by morphological parameters. That was
proved by the rutting tests. Due to limited paper length, this paper
gives only a sampling of the complex modulus master curve
analysis to provide a method to describe pavement performance
properties using appropriate rheological parameters and shape in-
dices.
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