Chapter 2 - Distribution of the temperature field in a pavement structure

Abstract

The asphalt mixture is a typically temperature-sensitive material; its mechanical characteristics and operational performance will also dramatically change with temperature variations. The asphalt mixture will perform differently under different temperature conditions. When the temperature is high, the viscosity of the binder will dramatically decrease, as will the adhesion among the aggregates. Meanwhile, the stiffness of the asphalt mixture also decreases, and there will be a large accumulated and permanent deformation under each repeat loading. Therefore, under high-temperature conditions, the asphalt pavement structure will have compression and rutting because of the viscosity of the asphalt mixture. When the temperature decreases, although the strength of the asphalt mixture will increase, the thermal stress in the asphalt mixture will also increase; sometimes, it will surpass the material strength and cause thermal cracking. Other distresses upon the asphalt pavement, such as fatigue cracking, reflective cracking, etc., are also directly or indirectly related to the temperature condition of the asphalt mixture. A full understanding of the characteristics and patterns of temperature fields in an asphalt pavement structure not only helps with accurately predicting the temperature distribution, but it can also can help with understanding the mechanism of pavement distress, and determine the strength of the asphalt pavement materials. In this chapter, pavement temperature prediction methods are developed and introduced.