Nuevo procedimiento para evaluar el comportamiento a fatiga en pavimentos asfálticos a través del ensayo Fénix

Abstract

This article presents an experimental study and its application in a methodology to evaluate the fatigue behavior of asphalt mixtures in pavement structures. This methodology and its application are based on the correlations obtained between stiffness and deformation parameters of a simple new fracture test, named Fenix test, and those obtained by the fatigue laws determined by the three point bending beam fatigue test, which complies with the European standard UNE-EN 12697-24. Four different Spanish asphalt mixture gradations were used, named G-20, S-20, S-20R60 and S-12R40, respectively. Two were also based on standard gradations but had a different percentage of Recycled Asphalt Pavement, RAP (S-20R60 and S-12R40 with 60% and 40% of RAP, respectively). Two mixtures, G-20 and S-20, were manufactured with penetration binders B60/70 and B13/22. Test temperatures were 5 °C and 20 °C. The binders of S-20R60 and S-12R40 mixtures had penetrations of 250 and 200 dmm, respectively. Mixtures test temperature was 20 °C. The main conclusion obtained from this research was that the proposed methodology allows evaluating the fatigue life of a pavement structure through a simple procedure. At the same time, this study attempts to solve the problems presented by the fatigue testing of asphalt mixtures due to their complexity and the time required