Design'of'high'performance'asphalt'for'airports'

Stephen!Emery1,!Ivan!Mihaljevic2!
1.# Kubu#Australia#Pty#Ltd,#Perth,#Australia#
2.# Kamen#Engineering,#Sydney,#Australia#

ABSTRACT!

Heavy! duty! pavements! such! as! airport! pavements! carry! much! higher! loads! than! highways.!
Experience! in! Australian! and! the! Middle! East! has! shown! the! need! for! high! performance!
asphalt! mix! design! to! cope! with! high! loads! in! high! ambient! temperatures.! Aircraft! wheel!
loads!and!pressures!for!the!next!generation!of!aircraft!will!increase!to!over!30!tonnes!per!tyre!
and!1650!kPa!tyre!pressure.!Traditional!Marshall!Mix!Design!Methods!continue!to!be!used,!
however!these!need!to!be!supplemented!in!design!by!further!performance!based!tests.!High!
performance!mix!design!criteria!have!been!developed!and!applied!overseas,!and!here!were!
refined! and! applied! to! the! development! of! an! asphalt! for! runway! resurfacing! works! at!
Broome! International! Airport.! This! paper! discusses! the! use! of! traditional! Marshall! Methods!
supplemented!by!accelerated!loading,!wheel!track!testing!and!refusal!density!concepts!in!the!
development! of! high! performance! asphalt! that! is! suitable! for! airports! in! the! challenging!
operational!and!environmental!conditions!of!North!West!of!Western!Australia.!!
!
Keywords:!Airport,!asphalt,!design.!

1.'INTRODUCTION'

Bitumen!spray!seal!surfacings!have!been!used!on!airports!in!remote!locations!of!Australia!for!
many!years.!These!have!provided!adequate!serviceability,!are!of!low!cost!and!also!provide!
for! ease! of! constructability! [1].! In! some! cases! however,! these! surfaces! are! maintenance!
intensive! particularly! when! used! by! jet! aircraft.! As! a! result! of! resource! development! in!
Western! Australia! (WA),! asphalt! placement! on! remote! runways! has! been! more! frequent! in!
recent!times.!
The! Marshall! mix! design! method! has! been! used! in! Australia! for! many! years! to! develop!
asphalt! materials! for! airport! applications.! Over! the! last! few! decades,! changes! and!
improvements! to! specific! materials! and! engineering! parameters! have! been! adopted! in!
response!to!increasing!aircraft!loads!and/or!challenging!operational!conditions.!Fundamental!
Marshall!design!elements!have!largely!remained!unchanged.!!
The! intent! to! apply! asphalt! surfacing! to! the! Broome! International! Airport! runway! presented!
an! array! of! challenges! including! logistics,! climatic! and! geometric! variables,! and! also!
structural! and! material! design! in! a! remote,! hot! and! sometimes! very! wet! environment! with!
limited!mineral!source!materials.!
Asphalt! material! selection! and! design! proved! to! provide! a! key! element! in! satisfying! these!
variables.!Specific!elements!included:!
a.! The! use! of! a! high! performance! proprietary! polymer! modified! bitumen! binder! which!
improved!deformation!resistance!against!heavy!wheel!loads!and!very!high!operating!
temperatures! but! at! the! same! time! allowing! adequate! binder! volumes! to! increase!
longer!term!durabilityW!
b.! Adoption!of!antiXstripping!mechanisms!which!provided!confidence!of!asphalt!material!!
performance!under!seasonally!high!rainfallW!
c.! The!use!of!wheel!track!performance!testing!to!ensure!rut!deformation!resistance!was!
maximisedW!and!
d.! The! use! of! mechanical! refusal! compaction! testing! techniques! which! provided! an!
additional! measure! of! material! stability.! Using! this! test! during! production! also!
provided!confidence!of!asphalt!manufacturing!and!process!consistency.!!
!
 Design!of!high!performance!asphalt!for!airports!–#Peer#Reviewed#Paper!

2.'ASPHALT'MATERIAL'MIX'DESIGN''

2.1'Background'''
Broome!International!Airport!is!located!in!the!north!west!of!Australia!2200!km!north!of!Perth!
and! approximately! 560! km! north! of! the! major! centre! of! Port! Hedland.! The! mainly! arid!
landscape!meets!the!Indian!Ocean!at!Broome!which!attracts!an!average!rainfall!of!600!mm!
during!the!monsoonal!season!between!December!and!April.!Ambient!temperatures!typically!
are!above!40oC!during!summer!months!which!provide!for!pavement!temperatures!in!excess!
of!60oC.!!!!!

2.2'Raw'Materials'
Quality! aggregate! deposits! in! northXwestern! Australia! are! sparse! and! expensive! to! extract.!
The! nearest! reliable! source! is! located! in! Port! Hedland! from! where! a! granitic! mineral!
aggregate!was!selected!for!use!in!the!asphalt!material.!Natural!sand!was!sourced!from!river!
deposits!330!km!from!Broome.!Both!source!materials!met!typical!material!properties!used!for!
asphalt!manufacture!in!Australia.!Table!1!summarises!these!properties.!!

TABLE'1'–'Raw'Mineral'Aggregate'Properties''
Property( Test( Requirement(for(Compliance( Source(Material(Results(
Method(
Material(<(4.75(mm(size((
Water&absorption& Not&more&than&2.5%&for&crushed&
AS&1141.5& aggregates,&and&not&more&than& <&1.5%&
2.0%&for&natural&aggregates&
Plasticity&Index&& AS&1289.3.3.1& NonHplastic& NonHplastic&
Material(>(4.75(mm(size((
Water&absorption& AS&1141.6.1& Not&more&than&2%& <&0.5%&
3&
Bulk,&SSD&and&Apparent&Density& AS&1141.6.1& Report& 2.68&t/m (Bulk)&
Material&finer&than&0.075mm& AS&1141.12& Not&more&than&2%& <&1.0%&
Misshapen&particles&using&a&3:1&ratio& AS&1141.14& Not&more&than&10%& <&10%&
Wet&strength& AS&1141.22& Not&less&than&150&kN& 188&kN&
Wet/Dry&strength&variation& AS&1141.22& Not&more&than&25%& 7&%&
Soundness& AS&1141.24& Not&more&than&3%& <&3.0%&
Weak&particles& AS&1141.32& Not&more&than&0.2%& <&0.2%&
Los&Angles&Value& AS&1141.22& Not&More&than&25%& 23&%&(J)&
Secondary&Mineral&Content&in&Basic&
AS1141.26& Not&more&than&20%& <&10%&
Igneous&Rocks&
Resistance&to&Stripping&of&Aggregates&
T230& Not&more&than&10%& See&clause&2.4&
and&Binders&

2.3'Polymer'Modified'Binder'
Polymer!modified!bitumen!binder!was!blended!in!Perth!and!transported!2200!km!to!site.!The!
binder! was! a! proprietary! material! termed! B380! SAMIfalt! sourced! and! supplied! by! SAMI!
Bitumen! Technologies.! Some! early! asphalt! testing! used! an! EVA! modified! binder,! but! then!
B380!was!chosen.!This!bitumen!has!been!specifically!designed!for!airport!applications!as!a!
premium! polymer! modified! bitumen! containing! both! plastomeric! and! elastomeric!
components.! The! binder’s! properties! and! performance! parameters! are! detailed! elsewhere!
[2].!!!!!

2.4'Stripping'Assessment'

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16 !AAPA!International!Flexible!Pavements!Conference!2015! 2! Gold!Coast,!Queensland,!Australia!
 Design!of!high!performance!asphalt!for!airports!–#Peer#Reviewed#Paper!

Stripping!distress!of!aggregate/binder!interfaces!can!be!initiated!by!a!number!of!mechanisms!
[3].!The!main!concern!for!the!Broome!works!was!the!granite!geology!of!the!source!aggregate!
which! is! a! known! risk! for! stripping! potential! in! WA! [4].! The! addition! of! hydrated! lime! is!
typically! used! in! WA! to! decrease! stripping! risk,! however! because! of! the! cost! and! transport!
logistics!to!Broome,!an!alternative!fatty!acid!based!liquid!anti!stripping!agent!was!selected!for!
use!on!this!project.!!
Preliminary!assessment!of!the!antiXstrip!agent!was!initiated!using!the!plate!stripping!test![5].!
This! test! embeds! aggregate! particles! into! bitumen! binder! spread! on! an! etched! aluminium!
plate! which! is! then! cured! at! a! preXdetermined! test! temperature.! Aggregate! particles! are!
subsequently!extracted!by!ripping!them!off!the!plate!to!assess!adhesion.!This!test!is!operator!
subjective,! but! nevertheless! the! test! provides! a! simple! and! excellent! relative! measure! of!
stripping! potential! of! the! bitumen/aggregate/adhesion! agent! combination.! ! Table! 2! lists!
results! from! preXproduction! testing! illustrating! that! when! antiXstripping! agent! is! not! present,!
stripping!levels!are!unacceptable.!The!results!also!show!that!the!addition!of!a!liquid!adhesion!
agent!provided!acceptable!resistance!to!stripping.!These!results!provided!confidence!that!the!
addition!of!hydrated!lime!was!not!necessary!whilst!the!liquid!antiXstripping!agent!is!present!in!
the!mix.!!

TABLE'2'O'Plate'Stripping'Test'Results'
Adhesion' Curing' Result'
Item' Aggregate'Condition' Binder' o
Additive' temperature'( C)' (%)'
1! As!received! Nil! EVA!Modified! 82! 98!
2! As!received! 0.5%! EVA!Modified! 82! 8!
3! As!received! 0.5%! B380! 98.5! <!2!
4! Clean!and!Dry! 0.5%! B380! 98.5! <!2!
5! As!received!&!coated!with!lime! 0.5%! B380! 98.5! <!2!
6! Clean!and!Dry!&!coated!with!lime! 0.5%! B380! 98.5! <!2!
!

2.5'Asphalt'Material'Properties''
Volumetric! characteristics! are! critical! to! the! provision! of! a! stable! asphalt! material! under!
heavy!aircraft!loads.!In!part!the!combined!aggregate!grading!will!shape!volumetric!properties!
of! the! asphalt! material.! The! limited! availability! of! suitable! raw! materials! for! asphalt!
manufacture! shaped! the! grading! curve! of! the! material! applied! to! Broome! airport.! This!
restriction! also! shaped! the! surface! texture! of! the! material! which! is! another! critical! factor! to!
consider!for!surface!friction,!groove!structure!integrity!and!resistance!to!mechanical!damage!
during!operations.!!
Australian! practice! on! runways! is! to! target! a! finely! textured! material! which! would! typically!
provide!a!closed!and!tight!surface!matrix.!This!aspect!is!important!for!subsequent!installation!
of! surface! grooving.! TooXcoarse! a! surface! texture! can! lead! to! mechanical! damage,!
particularly! spalling! of! the! groove! edges.! A! maximum! density! grading! curve! based! on! the!
Fuller!method![6]!is!typically!adopted!for!airports.!Figure!1!shows!the!grading!used!for!these!
works! was! somewhat! coarser! than! the! maximum! density! design! target.! Figure! 2! illustrates!
the! actual! surface! matrix! achieved! following! grooving.! The! runway! surface! remained! intact!
and!without!damage!during!the!initial!20!months!of!runway!operations.!!
The! 75! blow! Marshall! laboratory! compaction! method! was! used! to! determine! air! voids! and!
volumetric! material! characteristics,! in! accordance! with! Australian! Airport! Association! test!
methods! [7].! Table! 3! lists! the! average! properties! achieved.! The! limits! for! each! material!
property!were!adopted!based!on!the!operating!climate!and!also!predicted!traffic!conditions.!
The! listed! properties! are! typical! are! considered! typical! of! asphalt! materials! used! for! airport!
runways.!
Material! volumetric! properties! however! were! optimised! to! obtain! a! balance! between! longer!
term! durability! promoting! higher! binder! contents! and! adequate! bitumen! coverage,! whilst!
maintaining! a! structurally! stable! mix! by! retaining! adequate! air! void! content! at! both! refusal!
and!laboratory!compaction!densities.!!
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16 !AAPA!International!Flexible!Pavements!Conference!2015! 3! Gold!Coast,!Queensland,!Australia!
 Design!of!high!performance!asphalt!for!airports!–#Peer#Reviewed#Paper!

!
FIGURE'1'O'Combined'aggregate'grading'

FIGURE'2'–'Runway'Surface'Matrix''
TABLE'3'–'14'mm'Asphalt'Mix'Properties'
Average'Production' Test'Methods'
Property'
Data'
Maximum!Density!–!AS2891.7.3!
Pavement!Voids!! 4.9'
Bulk!density!–!AS2891.9.2!
Marshall!Compaction!–!AAA!MT001!
Bulk!Density!–!AAA!MT001!
Voids!in!Compacted!Mix!! 3.2'
Maximum!Density!–!AS2891.7.3!
Air!voids!–!AAA!MT001!
Compaction!–!BS589!
Refusal!Density!Air!Voids! 1.9' Bulk!density!–!AS2891.9.2!
Maximum!Density!–!AS2891.7.3!
Voids!in!Mineral!Aggregate!! 15.7' AS2891.8!
Marshall!Stability!! 13.8' AAAMT001!
Maximum!Flow!! 2.8' AAAMT001!
Binder!Content!of!Design!Mix! 5.3' AS2891.3.1!
Bitumen!Film!Index! 10.8' AG:PT/T237!
Assessment!of!Propensity!for!Stripping!of!
>'80' RMS!T640!
Bituminous!Mixtures!
!

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 Design!of!high!performance!asphalt!for!airports!–#Peer#Reviewed#Paper!

Prior! to! the! introduction! of! performance! testing,! the! suitability! of! asphalt! materials! under!
heavy! loads! was! gauged! by! Marshall! stability! and! flow! properties.! This! empirical! test!
provides! a! loose! relationship! to! inXservice! asphalt! performance.! Figure! 3! compares! data!
(presented! as! normal! distribution! curves)! from! the! works! in! Broome! and! three! other! recent!
asphalt! overlay! projects! completed! in! Australia.! All! results! represent! 14! mm! size! asphalt!
used! in! wearing! course! layers.! Median! values! are! shown! by! the! curve! peaks.! Figure! 3!
demonstrates!the!variability!that!is!associated!with!Marshall!stability!and!flow!testing,!which!
can! be! influenced! by! binder! type,! physical! aggregate! properties,! asphalt! volumetric!
composition! and! also! surface! microXtexture.! Because! of! the! variability! in! the! data,! Marshall!
stability! and! flow! parameters! can! be! used! as! an! indicator! for! asphalt! material! inXservice!
performance! in! relation! to! material! deformation! under! load,! however! not! as! an! absolute!
assessment.!!!
!

! !
!FIGURE'3'–'Marshall'Stability'and'Flow'

2.6'Asphalt'Material'Refusal'Density'
Refusal! density! concepts! were! introduced! as! a! supplement! to! the! Marshall! mix! design!
method! for! the! Broome! Airport! works! and! also! as! a! production! tool.! Refusal! density!
compaction! methods! were! adapted! from! the! British! test! method! BS598:! Part! 104! which!
specifies! the! use! of! a! vibratory! hammer! to! compact! the! asphalt! in! a! confined! 152! mm!
diameter!mould![8]!–!this!is!colloquially!referred!as!the!Kango!hammer!test.!This!test!method!
specifies! pavement! core! samples! to! be! used! for! testing! of! refusal! density,! however! for! our!
purposes!asphalt!was!sampled!directly!from!mix!design!trials!and/or!production.!!!
Compaction! of! asphalt! materials! to! refusal! density! is! equivalent! to! the! ultimate! density! that!
the!material!is!likely!to!reach!in!service.!Because!wheel!loads!under!aircraft!are!typically!10!
times!or!more!of!that!experienced!on!roadways,!it!is!important!in!mix!design!to!ensure!that!
the! asphalt! material! will! not! compact! to! a! level! where! the! material! may! experience!
deformation.! Refusal! compaction! testing! by! vibratory! hammer! techniques! provides! an!
extreme! and! robust! method! which! relates! to! heavy! loads! such! as! that! of! aircraft.! With! the!
high!service!temperatures!at!Broome,!and!given!the!experience!of!the!authors!with!asphalt!in!
heavy! duty! service! in! hot! climates,! it! was! considered! more! important! that! refusal! density!
concepts!be!determined!and!limits!satisfied!using!this!test!method,!as!opposed!to!other!test!
methods!including!the!gyratory!compactor.!!

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 Design!of!high!performance!asphalt!for!airports!–#Peer#Reviewed#Paper!

Asphalt! material! performance! under! heavy! aircraft! loads! in! hot! climates! has! not! always!
performed! adequately! [9].! Asphalt! placed! at! Dubai! airport! failed! within! months! of! loading!
because!of!the!use!of!unsuitable!material!design!methods.!A!refusal!density!concept!of!600!
blow! Marshall! compaction! was! used! initially! and! proved! inadequate.! It! was! found! that!
material! lock! up! within! the! mould! occurred! too! early! into! the! test,! providing! inaccurate!
densities! and! resultant! air! voids.! The! Kango! hammer! test! was! introduced! and! proved!
satisfactory.! This! example! demonstrates! the! importance! of! practically! relating! the! testing!
protocols!to!the!application.!
For!Broome!Airport!a!minimum!refusal!air!voids!content!of!2.0%!was!adopted.!This!level!of!
air!voids!is!considered!suitable!for!the!low!to!moderate!traffic!volumes,!the!operating!climate!
and!also!providing!a!suitable!balance!of!material!durability!versus!required!rut!resistance!and!
stability.!

2.7'Air'Voids'Relationship'
To! optimise! asphalt! material! design! for! both! service! and! construction,! it! is! considered!
important!to!minimise!the!difference!between!refusal!air!voids!and!air!voids!measured!by!75!
blow!Marshall!laboratory!compaction.!By!bringing!these!two!values!closer!together,!not!only!
is!the!stability!of!the!material!improved,!but!onXsite!compaction!effort!is!also!reduced.!Table!3!
shows! an! average! of! 1.3%! between! the! 75! blow! Marshall! laboratory! air! voids! and! refusal!
voids,!which!is!considered!to!be!a!very!good!result.!Bitumen!content,!material!volumetric!and!
mineral! aggregate! quality! are! some! of! the! variables! which! significantly! influence! these!
values.!!
The! difference! been! laboratory! and! pavement! voids! also! provides! an! indicator! of! the!
material’s!ability!to!provide!an!adequate!balance!between!stability!and!durability.!Relatively!
low!air!voids!at!75!blow!Marshall!compaction!ensures!that!low!air!voids!in!the!field!are!also!
achievable.! A! target! voids! of! 5.0%! or! less! in! the! field! provides! reduced! risk! of! moisture!
ingress! and! damage,! whilst! significantly! improving! asphalt! material! cohesion! and! stiffness.!
To! enhance! stability! however! it! is! necessary! to! maximise! air! voids! at! refusal! density.! An!
average!air!voids!at!refusal!of!1.9%!was!achieved!for!the!material!placed!at!Broome!which!is!
considered!to!be!adequate!and!practically!meeting!the!2.0%!target.!!
Figure!4!illustrates!air!voids!measured!at!refusal,!laboratory!and!pavement!compaction!in!a!
normal!distribution!graph.!The!largest!data!spread!is!within!the!pavement!data,!as!expected!
because!the!least!compaction!control!is!applied!during!field!installation!and!compaction.!The!
spread!in!laboratory!and!refusal!void!data!displays!a!lessor!variance.!Increase!in!compactive!
effort!results!in!a!reduction!of!variance.!!

FIGURE'4'–'Air'Voids'–'Refusal,'Marshall'Compaction'&'Pavement!

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 Design!of!high!performance!asphalt!for!airports!–#Peer#Reviewed#Paper!

Figure! 4! illustrates! typical! variance! in! asphalt! construction! and! testing! processes.! Although!
some! results! for! refusal! and! pavement! voids! are! less! than! the! target! values,! the! outlying!
results! are! acceptable! as! a! normal! variance! to! the! test! method.! If! data! variability! was! not!
accepted!and!a!minimum!2.0%!was!required!for!refusal!voids!for!example,!then!the!design!
limit! would! need! to! be! 2.8%! to! account! for! variability.! Some! specifications! account! for!
variability!in!this!manner.!!!!!!!!
Construction! material! data! variability! is! not! only! a! function! of! material! quality! but! also!
operator! testing! techniques,! laboratory! procedures,! raw! material! variability! and! other!
construction! based! factors.! Table! 4! lists! standard! deviation! results! for! data! obtained! in!
Broome! and! data! published! by! Hughes! [10]! for! various! compaction! techniques.! This!
comparison!provides!confidence!that!the!material!produced!in!Broome!is!of!a!variance!which!
is!typically!experienced!in!asphalt!construction!materials.!!

TABLE'4'–'Air'Voids'Variability'–'Standard'Deviation'
Refusal'Voids'' Marshall'Laboratory' Pavement'Voids''
Item''
Voids'
Broome!! 0.3! 0.6! 1.2!

Hughes![ref:!10]! 0.3!–!0.5 !
a
0.7!–!0.9! 1.0!–!1.5!
Note#a:##These#numbers#taken#from#SHRP#gyratory#compaction#testing#representing#a#higher#compactive#effort#than#laboratory#
Marshall#compaction#and#could#be#used#to#compare#to#refusal#density#testing#at#Broome##

2.8'Wheel'Track'Testing''
Both! the! Coopers! and! Mobile! Model! Load! Simulator! wheel! tracking! tests! were! used! for!
design! and! production! assessment! of! the! asphalt.! Each! of! these! are! reviewed! separately!
below.!!

2.8.1! Coopers!Wheel!Track!Testing!!
Wheel! track! testing! was! completed! using! procedures! out! lined! by! the! test! method!
AGPT/T231! [11].! ! The! test! uses! a! solid! rubber! wheel! which! is! applied! to! a! compacted!
sample!at!a!constant!speed!and!at!a!test!temperature!of!60oC.!Production!asphalt!mix!was!
used!and!compacted!using!the!BP!slab!compactor!in!accordance!with!APGT/T220!–!Sample!
Preparation! –! Compaction! of! Asphalt! Slabs.! This! test! is! the! standard! test! used! in! Australia!
for! wheel! tracking! analysis! which! replicates! typical! roadway! conditions! naturally! simulating!
conditions!for!this!purpose.!!

!FIGURE'4'–'Coopers'Wheel'Track'Testing''

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16 !AAPA!International!Flexible!Pavements!Conference!2015! 7! Gold!Coast,!Queensland,!Australia!
 Design!of!high!performance!asphalt!for!airports!–#Peer#Reviewed#Paper!

For! airport! applications! this! test! was! used! to! empirically! link! the! performance! of! various!
bitumen! binders! using! standard! asphalt! mix! designs! for! airports! and! standard! mineral!
aggregate! materials.! The! analysis! was! completed! under! the! instruction! of! the! Australian!
Airports!Association!Technical!Working!Group!(AAA!TWG)![12].!This!testing!was!completed!
on! laboratory! mixed! and! compacted! samples! that! were! treated! with! grooves! to! typical!
dimensions! used! on! Australian! runway! surfaces.! Comparison! of! the! two! is! considered!
appropriate!to!provide!a!gauge!that!can!be!used!to!rank!the!Broome!airport!material!against!
this!controlled!data.!Figure!4!illustrates!that!the!asphalt!placed!at!Broome!using!B380!binder!
was! equal! in! terms! of! wheel! tracking! depth! to! the! asphalt!containing! B380! binder! tested! in!
2006.! Figure! 4! also! demonstrates! that! the! asphalt! used! at! Broome! airport! provides! rut!
resistance! properties! on! par! with! laboratory! manufactured! samples! containing! highly!
modified!A10E!grade!binder!and!binder!D!which!was!produced!by!Shell!at!the!time!and!also!
much!better!deformation!resistance!than!refined!C320!and!C450!grade!bitumen!binders.!!!!!!

2.8.2!MMLS3!Wheel!Track!Testing!'
The!MMLS3!wheel!track!apparatus!can!be!used!to!assess!asphalt!materials!as!a!function!of!
variables! specific! to! airport! pavements! under! the! Baton! Rouge! protocol! [13].! Possible! test!
variables!are!listed!in!Table!5!and!variables!used!in!testing!the!Broome!Asphalt!materials!are!
as!follows:!
!
a.! High!wheel!load!at!2.9!kN!!
b.! Test! was! run! at! typical! Pavement! Temperatures! of! 60oC! and! also! at! 50oC! to!
determine!the!effect!of!temperature!variation!!
c.! Tyre!pressure!during!the!test!was!700!kPa!which!is!relatively!low!!
d.! Slow!speed!at!1800!passes!per!hour!representing!slow!moving!taxing!aircraft!which!
also!provide!for!greatest!damage!!
e.! Test!samples!were!kept!dry!during!the!test!
f.! Nil!load!wander!was!employed!!
g.! 100,000!load!cycles!were!applied!!!
!!
TABLE'5'–'MMLS'standard'test'variables'

!
!!
!

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16 !AAPA!International!Flexible!Pavements!Conference!2015! 8! Gold!Coast,!Queensland,!Australia!
 Design!of!high!performance!asphalt!for!airports!–#Peer#Reviewed#Paper!

The!test!apparatus!is!illustrated!in!Figure!5!which!uses!nine!(9)!150!mm!diameter!compacted!
asphalt! briquette! samples! cut! to! a! length! of! 105! mm.! These! samples! fit! tightly! into! the! test!
bed!that!laterally!confines!the!specimens!during!test.!Loading!is!applied!by!4!wheels!on!the!
track! bed! and! rut! depth! measurements! are! recorded! at! regular! intervals! on! the! seven! (7)!
internal!specimens!only.!
!
Test!results!on!production!mix!are!summarised!in!Table!6!and!show!a!total!rut!depth!of!1.94!
mm! following! 100,000! cycles! at! 60oC! whilst! at! 50oC! test! temperature! the! rut! depth! was!
measured!at!1.37!mm.!The!Baton!Rouge!protocol!suggests!a!maximum!rut!depth!of!2.0!mm!
is! acceptable! for! slow! moving! taxiing! aircraft! speeds! and! 2.2! mm! for! fast! moving! runways!
and! taxiways,! such! as! rapid! exit! taxiways.! The! test! result! of! 1.94! mm! at! 60oC! test!
temperature! satisfies! both! these! limiting! values.! Importantly! the! rut! value! is! only! just! below!
the! 2.0! mm! maximum! limit! which! means! the! asphalt! mix! not! only! provides! suitable! rut!
resistance! but! at! this! value! the! material! is! not! overly! stiff! and! rut! resistant,! that! too! low! a!
binder! content! was! used! that! would! otherwise! decrease! longer! term! asphalt! material!
durability.!!
!!!!!

!
!!
FIGURE'5'–'MMLS3'Test'Apparatus''
!
!
TABLE'6'–'MMLS'test'results'summary!
Average'
Test' Total' Load'Rate' Tyre' Average' Coefficient'
Test' Rut'
Temperature' Load' (repetition'/' Pressure' Voids' of'Variation''
ID' o Depth''
( C)' Cycles' hour)' (kPa)' (%)' (%)'
(mm)'
1! 50! 100,000! 1800!(slow)! 700! 5.2! 1.37! 18.0!
2! 60! 100,000! 1800!(slow)! 700! 5.4! 1.94! 10.4!
!!!!

3.'CONCLUSIONS''

The! asphalt! material! applied! to! the! Broome! runway! pavement! was! designed! to! provide! a!
balance! between! suitable! deformation! resistance! and! long! term! durability.! The! binder!
content! was! used! to! achieve! this! balance,! however! other! variables! such! as! refusal! density!
and! material! volumetric! properties! were! considered! in! order! to! enhance! this! design! intent.!
The! design! parameters! are! specific! to! the! operational! and! climatic! conditions! at! Broome!
airport! and! may! need! to! be! adjusted! for! other! airport! locations! within! Australia.! Limited!
sources! of! mineral! aggregate! compounded! the! design! process! and! a! single! granite! source!
material! located! 560! kms! from! Broome! was! used! for! asphalt! production.! ! A! premium!
proprietary! bitumen! binder! developed! specifically! for! airport! use! provided! suitable!
performance!properties!for!use!on!Broome!airport.!!
!
The!asphalt!material:!

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16 !AAPA!International!Flexible!Pavements!Conference!2015! 9! Gold!Coast,!Queensland,!Australia!
 Design!of!high!performance!asphalt!for!airports!–#Peer#Reviewed#Paper!

a.! included!a!fatty!acid!based!liquid!antiXstripping!agent!to!provide!acceptable!stripping!
properties,! which! satisfied! the! Australian! version! of! the! modified! Lottman! test! and!
also!physical!plate!stripping!test!methodsW!!
b.! was!designed!to!obtain!an!average!minimum!refusal!compaction!air!voids!of!around!
2.0%,!which!was!considered!to!be!comparable!to!climatic!conditions!and!future!traffic!
loading!and!volumesW!and!
c.! was! designed! to! obtain! no! more! than! 2.0! mm! rut! depth! deformation! under! MMLS3!
test!protocols.!At!this!limiting!value!it!is!considered!that!the!asphalt!material!provides!
for! adequate! deformation! resistance! for! operational! conditions! in! the! North! West! of!
Australia!while!also!retaining!sufficient!flexibility!to!maximise!durability!which!is!critical!
in!hot!and!often!wet!climate!conditions.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

4.'ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS'

The!permission!of!Brome!International!Airport!to!use!their!data!is!acknowledged.!

5.'REFERENCES'

[1]! Emery.!S.!Seals!for!Heavy!Duty!Airport!Pavements,!ARRB!1st!Sprayed!Sealing!
Conference!–!cost!effective!high!performance!surfacing,!Adelaide,!Australia.!2008.!
[2]! Emery!S,!Mann!I!and!Mihaljevic,!I.!Modified!Binder!for!Airport!Asphalt,!AAPA!16th!
International!Flexible!Pavements!Conference,!Gold!Coast,!Australia.!2015.!
[3]! Kandhal!P!and!Rickards!I.!Premature!Failure!of!Asphalt!Overlays!from!Stripping:!Case!
Histories,!Annual!Meeting!of!Association!of!Asphalt!Paving!Technologists,!Florida,!USA.!
March!19X21,!2001.!
[4]! Leach!R.!A!brief!History!of!Bituminous!Surfacing!in!Western!Australia,!Journal!Australian!
Geomechanics!Society,!Volume!50:!No.!1,!Australia.!March!2015.!
[5]! RMS.!T230!Test!Method!X!Resistance!to!stripping!of!aggregates!and!binders.!Sydney,!
Australia.!October!2012.!!!
[6]! Hunter!R.!Bituminous!Mixtures!in!Road!Construction,!pp!284,!Thomas!Telford,!London,!
UK.!1994.!!
[7]! Australian!Airports!Association.!Methods!of!Sampling!And!Testing!Asphalt,!Determination!
of!the!Marshall!Test!Properties!of!Asphalt!Mixes!for!Airports!–!AAA!MT001,!Sydney,!
Australia.!2007.!
[8]! BS586XPart!104.!Methods!of!test!for!the!determination!of!density!and!compaction,!UK.!
January!2005.!
[9]! Emery!S!and!Mihaljevic!I.!Accelerated!Load!Testing!of!Asphalt!Mix!Designs!for!Heavy!
Duty!Pavements!in!Hot!Climates,!23rd!ARRB!Conference.!Adelaide,!Australia.!2008.!
[10]! Hughes!C.!NCHRP!Synthesis!232,!Variability!in!Highway!Pavement!Construction,!
Transportation!Research!Board.!Washington,!USA.!1996.!
[11]! AGPT/T231!X!!!Deformation!Resistance!of!Asphalt!Mixture!by!the!Wheel!Track!Test!
AUSTROADS.!Sydney,!Australia.!2006.!
[12]! Emery!S.!New!Airport!Binder!–!Binder!Characterisation!Assessment.!Australian!Airports!
Association!Technical!Working!Group!presentation.!Adelaide,!Australia.!June!2006.!
[13]! DPG1!–!Method!for!evaluation!of!permanent!deformation!and!susceptibility!to!moisture!
damage!of!bituminous!road!paving!mixtures!using!the!Model!Mobile!Load!Simulator!
(MMLS3).!Stellenbosch!University,!South!Africa.!December!2008.!

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16 !AAPA!International!Flexible!Pavements!Conference!2015! 10! Gold!Coast,!Queensland,!Australia!