Influence of volumetric property on mechanical properties of vertical vibration compacted asphalt mixture

Abstract

Volumetric properties, such as volume of air voids (VV), voids filled with asphalt (VFA), and voids in mineral aggregate (VMA), strongly influence the performance of asphalt mixtures. This paper analyzes the influence of volumetric properties on the mechanical properties of the ATB-30 asphalt mixture which molds using vertical vibration compaction method (VVCM). Suggested values of volumetric properties were proposed based on the optimization of mechanical properties. Additionally, the proposed design was evaluated based on its performance in practice. Results show a 92% testing accuracy of the mechanical properties of VVCM specimens. This accuracy reveals that the vibration molding is compatible with the mechanism of the roller. High consistency was observed between the mechanical properties of the ATB-30 asphalt mixture and VV, VFA. However, the correlation between mechanical properties and VMA was poor. Hence, the suggested values of VV and VFA in the ATB-30 asphalt mixture are 2.8%–4.0% and 64%–74%, respectively, and VMA is only used as a reference with a value of at least 10.5%. Compared with the Marshall Compaction method (MCM), the Marshall stability, dynamic stability, splitting strength, and tensile strength of the ATB-30 asphalt mixture increased by 54.4%, 39.1%, 54.8%, and 53.7%, respectively, when using the design-suggested values of the VVCM design. The water stability of the asphalt mixture also improved.