The link between laboratory testing and potential field performance of asphalt mixes is very important to improved asphalt pavement life-cycle performance. There have been numerous attempts to form this missing link by developing laboratory equipment and procedures for accelerated asphalt concrete mix performance testing. The Pavement Technology, Inc. (PTI) automated Asphalt Pavement Analyser (APA) loaded wheel tester has been successfully used to evaluate the rutting resistance, fatigue endurance and moisture susceptibility of cold and hot-mix asphalts. With the APA, the asphalt engineer is able to check laboratory or field samples to assess how mixes designed using Marshall, Superpave volumetric or other methods will perform under simulated road conditions. The APA has been used in Ontario and across Canada for mix designs (the main area of APA use), pavement evaluation, assessment of new materials including modified binders, quality control and pavement failure investigations. The objective of this paper is to briefly present the APA and associated equipment, and describe its use for rutting, fatigue and moisture susceptibility testing, with examples of some of the more interesting results of APA testing from actual projects, as well as the current status of test procedure and acceptance criteria development. (Author/publisher)
Abstract